


Incandescent Elsewhere

by fictionalthirst



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: A Softer Eos, Alternate Universe, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, First Time, First Time Blow Jobs, Inexperienced Gladio, M/M, Male OC for the drama, Masturbation, Minor non-binary OC, Pining, Prom is two months away from turning 18 so I'm tagging for safety, Secret Crush, Underage Drinking, Unprotected Sex, experienced Prompto, minor OCs - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-09-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:35:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 15
Words: 50,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26194999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fictionalthirst/pseuds/fictionalthirst
Summary: Eos is a more peaceful place ten years after the Niflheim Empire disbanded, and Gladio's Royal Duties have evolved into a dual Shield/adviser role. For the next few years, he is travelling across the globe to immerse himself in the many countries of the world, and his first stop is Accordo.At nineteen, he's a bit behind his peers in experience, his responsibilities to the Crown weighing on his shoulders. But this new situation affords him the space to mature into the role he was born for.The end of his year abroad is spent celebrating the birthday of his Prince with his dependable adviser counterpart and a plucky blond that proves all too distracting.
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia/Prompto Argentum, Noctis Lucis Caelum/Ignis Scientia
Comments: 42
Kudos: 54





	1. dawning

**Author's Note:**

> Set in an Eos that has been purged of the Niflheim threat ten years prior. There is no Scourge, no Ardyn, no Political Wedding.

Gladio stands on a precipice between the end of his childhood and the beginning of his adult responsibilities, and his duties to the Royal line of Lucis. As much as he likes pretending at complete and utter confidence, he has to admit to himself that he is a _bit_ nervous for this new step in his life.

Gladio is about to head off to Accordo for a little over a year for an immersive learning experience. His position as Shield to his future King is far less harrowing than his father faced, now that there is no threat from Niflheim. His duty now is to learn what he can about diplomacy and easing tensions between potential allies, as well as keeping himself trained in combat, should the need arise, of course.

Noctis’s future duty to the Crown will take him all over the world, Gladio alongside him. There is much to learn, and his father, having spent a great deal of time travelling alongside King Regis, encouraged Gladio to get out into the world, rather than simply learning from a book. He suspects that his father also wants him to have more freedom than he once had as a youth.

Accordo is only his first stop in a world-wide tour of education. Once the summer has ended, Gladio will return to Insomnia for approximately a month before moving on to Tenebrae. From here on out, he will be alone in a foreign country and responsible for himself in a way he hasn’t ever been.

Accordo’s governance is unique in Eos; their oversight by the Niflheim Empire was stripped away ten years ago when the people of Graelea took control of their own country and released Accordo back to its own rule. Rather than one leader, they have a group of diverse citizens that see to the needs of their people.

Their relationship with Lucis has always been friendly, even through the difficulties presented by their occupation by Niflheim, and now there is a chance that they might assist Lucis in re-establishing a global peace.

Gladio is eager to learn more and contribute to the alliance. He has all of his things packed already, ever the pragmatist. Not that anyone ever thinks such a thing about him. Ignis is the man that the Council applies that label to; they have very little invested in Gladio’s participation in the affairs of the Kingdom. Hence his months of study, to prove to them that he is more than brawn.

Glaido considers himself a fairly practical person, despite what others might think. Sometimes, he can be accused of being impulsive, but that is usually due to underlying emotional stress, and if there is no overt trigger he can talk himself out of a bad decision effectively instantly.

That is why, here at the end of Noctis’s first year of high school, when he finds his Prince at the arcade in the middle of the day next to an outrageously cute blond, he immediately stows the spark of attraction. The guy is Noctis’s peer, so that makes him, at the outside, approaching seventeen years old, since Noct would be that age in little over a month. Gladio has only just turned nineteen, but even two years and four months seems insurmountable and inappropriate at this stage of Gladio’s life. While Noct and his pretty friend are in the arcade bitching about final exams and planning a summer of sleeping in and goofing off, Gladio is about to be on his own, working toward his future as a bodyguard and adviser. 

There is no world in which he and the blond have _anything_ in common, besides Noctis, so there it goes. Crush _crushed_.

=||==========>

All thought of the Prince’s friend is completely put out of Gladio’s mind for the next year or so, excepting any mentions from intermittent text updates from either Noct or Ignis about life in Insomnia. Prompto comes up a lot, and it seems that Ignis and Noctis have even gone as far as encouraging him to enter the Crownsguard. It’s not much of a surprise, then, when Noctis mentions that Prompto will be accompanying them when they visit Accordo at the end of August.

King Regis has business in Altissia, and Noctis is turning eighteen. It’s a fine time for him to be let loose on his own for a couple weeks, according to the official email sent to Gladio from his father, along with a stern word to make sure Gladio is available at all times to see to Noctis’s safety. Clarus adds that he will not be in attendance on the day of their arrival, as he will be busy confirming the security of Regis’s temporary dwelling in the Capital, but adds that he knows his son will make him proud.

Gladio is going to be stuck babysitting the both of the nerd duo for the last few weeks of his time away from Lucis, and it rankles just a bit, the possibility of a _fun_ outing between the four of them not even passing through his mind. It sounds like _work_ , which is a little uncharitable to Noctis, but he had plans for the last two weeks of his stay, as his studies wind down and he has more free time.

He has been hoping to finally, finally have time to let his hair down and see if he can get his V-card punched for once.

Practicality has its drawbacks, as Gladio is slowly learning. He is more than capable of flirtation, the flare of infatuation a tempting, thrashing thing begging for attention, but the moment it begins to cross into _possibility_ , he always finds a reason not to go through with it.

_What if this guy’s dangerous, and he’s getting close to me because of Noctis? What if I get her pregnant? Dad might not approve of them. My duty always comes first, and what if they can’t handle that?_ He has enough anxieties to fill the Citadel.

Gladio is a romantic, at heart. He wants what many people do, to lose himself in the moment and enjoy intimacy with someone wonderful. But he also knows that he comes with a lot of caveats, and he is going to have to find _literally_ the perfect person, if he wants to have a life-partner. Someone who can understand that his life belongs to Noctis, but his heart would belong to them.


	2. reaching

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reunion, attraction and confusion.

Gladio’s host family has been far more than accommodating, so much so that they’ve generally taken up the greater portion of his free time with their constant generosity of both spirit and hospitality. Most evenings, after coming home from a long day of study and travel, he is accosted by his hosts to join them at a late dinner, and after that, an evening of drinking on the verandah.

Gladio is nothing, if not a polite guest (with close ties to the Royal family of Lucis, who have paid for his travel, study and housing), and he indulges them whenever they ask. Which has not afforded him much time to experience the nightlife on the archipelago. It is twenty minutes by boat to the capital, and Gladio has seen it exactly once out of official context, when he arrived in the country. He was quickly ushered off to the southernmost island in the chain to settle his things in his new home.

Still, they are fun and vibrant, and the never-ending traffic of guests through the house has allowed Gladio to meet quite a number of colorful individuals. It’s been a fun stay, if tiring.

Gladio receives a text from Noctis, the night before they’re to set out by boat and meet him in Altissia. Noct relays the plans to transfer from the Capital to the beach manor at the easternmost tip of Accordo. The tiny landmass is affectionately called “The Island Closest to Hell,” because it is the least populated of the chain (there is only one house, and it is solely a rental property) and is also known to be sweltering in the late summer months.

Gladio thinks that maybe seeing Ignis and Noctis will spark some desire to return home, and who knows? Maybe he can split off from the group on occasion to seek out some time for himself and some pretty thing in the big city of the Capital.

=||==========>

Gladio is surprised at how excited he is to see the Prince and his adviser, when he greets them and his King at the docks of Altissia. What is more worrying, however, is how the flicker of interest begins to burn in Gladio’s stomach as Prompto steps out of the hold, carrying his suitcase and looking like liquid sin.

He’s filled out, grown more muscular and not simply scrawny. He has adopted a decidedly punk flare to his asymmetrical haircut, and a sense of fashion to match. His freckled shoulders are exposed, his sleeves artfully torn away from the loose, thin fabric of his graphic tee, a few holes here and there exposing a white flash of skin beneath. His pants are coeurl-print, maroon and skin tight, held at his waist by a belt that says… several words Gladio can’t read without staring too obviously, but the ‘phrase’ ends with “& FUCK”.

Prompto waves shyly, a small contradiction to his… everything else, his small hands encased in studded, fingerless gloves. Several leather bracelets in different styles hang from his right wrist.

Intellectually, Gladio knows he is staring, and his brain fires a command to lift his hand in a return gesture, but there are about forty subroutines running at once that are all trying to get him to comprehend how the straight-laced boy he had seen in the arcade, squeaking with fear at the idea of getting caught as truant, has turned into… this. In one year.

“Gladio,” Noctis greets him, holding up a fist to bump. Gladio’s attention diverts, and all of the conflicting programming ceases and he regains his normal functions once again.

“Hey, Noct,” Gladio nods, returning the gesture. “Iggy.”

“How has your time abroad been treating you?” Ignis asks, ever so politely.

“Same as when we texted six hours ago,” Gladio answers with a grin, always eager to poke the bear that is Ignis’s tightly wound decorum. “How was the trip over?”

“Booooorinnnnng,” Noctis groans, but Prompto sneaks up on him and shoulders him.

“You’re nuts, Noct,” Prompto says, still the cheerful and exuberant soul that Gladio remembers, despite the edgy look he now sports. “The sun was shining, the waves were cresting. And we got that cool pic in front of Angelgard.”

“That was like, ten minutes into the trip, Prom.”

“Sure, but,” Prompto falters a little. “It was still cool. It’s the final resting place of the Founder King.”

“Noctis,” King Regis calls, and Noctis turns to speak with his father, leaving Ignis and Prompto to awkwardly stand with their luggage and wait.

“Have you been to the villa?” Ignis asks, unbuttoning the top button of his shirt. For all of Insomnia’s inconveniences, it never gets this hot at home. Gladio has to suppress a smirk, seeing the normally unruffled Ignis show the slightest irritability. He is going to hate The Island Closest to Hell.

“I haven’t, unfortunately,” Gladio answers, shifting his weight onto his other foot. “My hosts kept me pretty busy. I’m sure the staff will have everything set up for us by the time we get in.”

“How long’s that gonna be?” Prompto asks, wiping sweat away from his neck.

Gladio falters for a moment, and briefly wishes Prompto would quit drawing his attention. “Uh, it’s like a forty minute boat ride around the outer coasts from here.”

“Noct is _not_ gonna like being put back on a boat,” Prompto chuckles.

“Certainly not,” Ignis sighs. “Gods help us, If I have to hear him moan about the sun any more today, I will throw _myself_ into the ocean.”

Gladio laughs, patting the slightly shorter man on his shoulder. “We’ll get through this, Specs. I think I can rustle up some rope. We’ll just hogtie him. For his safety, of course.”

Ignis lets out a short burst of breath through his nose, as close to a laugh as he is liable to get.

Predictably, Noctis complains for several minutes when he receives the news, but when Gladio promises him that they’ll sneak him some booze once they get to the villa, he shuts up. Ignis is clearly miffed at the suggestion of delinquency, but Gladio would rather Noctis show a little healthy teenage rebellion in the presence of his support system. Plus, it would only be a week until Noctis would be allowed to do so legally.

=||==========>

There is a short goodbye to the four of them from their King, and a reminder to dress formally for Noctis’s official party in the Capital, before he departs in the company of his own retainers to the manor of First Secretary Claustra.

They board a gondola, and then two more, before reaching the far docks of the horseshoe around Altissia, and their final boat to the villa. The sights and sounds of the passing architecture of the Capital are enough to occupy the younger men for a time, but the final boat ride is nothing but water on the starboard side and coastal beaches port. The further down the archipelago they travel, the less occupied the sandscapes are.

Prompto is busily taking photographs from his seat, kneeling dangerously to get certain shots. Gladio is absolutely _not_ watching him, or noting the fit of his jeans across his backside as he sticks it out a bit to lean forward. It’s merely a concern for his safety.

“Prompto,” Ignis says, as if he is contemplating the same possible peril. “Please, sit?”

“Sorry, Iggy,” Prompto smiles, and it’s an icepick right to Gladio’s belly, a sharp, startling piercing, and he has to busy his eyes with watching the bland landscape to his left as he shifts his posture and wills his heartbeat to a regular resting rate.

“What’s eating you?” Noctis asks from his right, picking at his fingernails. “You’ve been quiet since we got onboard.”

“Tired,” Gladio answers, and it’s true. “My host family were late-night-partiers, and they wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer when I said I needed to turn in early.”

“So they wanted you to swing with them?” Noctis asks with a smirk.

Gladio sputters. “Wh-what? No!” He whips his head to look behind him at Ignis, utter confusion and disbelief tugging at his features. “Where’s he picking this shit up?”

Ignis doesn’t answer, merely pushes up his glasses and folds his arms, offering no explanation as to where Noctis has suddenly developed such sassy banter.

Prompto is barely containing his laughter, face red with the effort, eyes glassy with unshed tears of amusement.

“You shouldn’t throw around language you don’t understand,” Gladio says, and Noct blinks at him as if he’s grown an extra head.

“Gladio,” He says, staring as if _Gladio_ is the one who is odd. “I’m about to turn eighteen. Do you think I’m still a little kid? I know about _sex_.”

Ignis coughs from the back, and Noctis schools his face, turning to sit forward, and his posture shifting to neutral as though he’s been chastised.

Gladio feels like maybe there is something he doesn’t know, and something no one wants him to know. It’s not a good feeling, either. One year and he is out of the loop with his two closest friends. He left thinking that Noctis was barely out of his awkward phase, and now he’s some kind of expert on carnal knowledge? Who exactly has been imparting this information to him?

Gladio glances back at Prompto, out of the corner of his eye, and wonders if the change in Noctis began with his suddenly provocatively dressed friend.

=||==========>

The villa is not as big as Gladio had been picturing. It is more of a beach house than a manor, and while it has a long list of amenities, there are only four bedrooms, two baths, a kitchen-slash-dining room and living area. It’s a beautiful place, nestled between some steep bluffs with vibrant plantlife and the distant sounds of running water and a white sand shoreline. There is a dock just off the coast, and a small speedboat for running errands to islands nearby.

Noctis claims the main bedroom on the first floor, with an ensuite bath, and Ignis is insistently shuffled inside the neighboring room by his Prince.

That leaves Gladio and Prompto to fight over the two rooms upstairs, the only rooms on the second floor at all, besides the rather cramped second bathroom. The rest of the upper floor plan is a balcony style roof with a hot tub, small seating area with pool chairs, and inexplicably, a fountain and several statues of the Hexatheon.

Prompto is accommodating, and allows Gladio to choose first, though it hardly matters. They’re nearly identical, mirrored in setup. The only difference is that one is slightly closer to the bathroom, so that’s the one Gladio picks.

Once they all throw their bags into their respective rooms and change into much more appropriate clothes for the weather, they meet in the kitchen to discuss their plans for the evening.

Ignis expresses a desire to travel to get ingredients for their dinners for the next few nights, and points out on his phone that there is a grocer on the next isle over, a five minute boat ride. Noctis surprisingly volunteers to go along, despite his constant moaning during the trip from Altissia.

Prompto suddenly excuses himself as his phone trills with a call, stepping out onto the patio and pacing around as he talks, animatedly.

“So me an’ blondie are stuck here, huh?” Gladio says, tilting his head to the fidgeting figure just outside the door. “Guess I’ll be hitting the hooch earlier than expected.”

“Don’t be a dick,” Noctis says, his eyes lidded with irritation. “Prompto’s awesome. Get to know him, maybe.”

“I’m not sure he and I will have much to talk about,” Gladio shrugs.

Prompto returns to the kitchen with a bright, beaming smile and sits at the counter on an opulently styled bar stool. “Iggy, can I do anything to help?” He asks, looking like he’s about to leap off the seat and set to work with all the energy he is clearly trying to contain.

“If you wouldn’t mind trying to locate these cooking tools,” Ignis says, handing him a list after scrawling it on a small notepad. “It will speed up the process to make dinner once we’ve returned with the ingredients.”

“Sure thing, buddy,” Prompto nods, grabbing the list and hopping to it.

“ _You’re_ happy,” Noctis notes, a sly smile on his face.

“Yup,” Prompto answers. “Who wouldn’t be with his best buds on a tropical island?”

Again, Gladio feels like he is missing some subtext in the conversation. Gladio wants to ask, but knows that acknowledging that he doesn’t have the context will literally kill him, so he holds his tongue to ask Ignis later, when they’re alone. Ignis can be trusted to not make him feel like some distant interloper.

“We’ll be back shortly,” Ignis says to Gladio and Prompto, and pockets the small ingredients list he had been making as Gladio stood there, feeling alone and excised from their once impenetrable group of three.

“Maybe give Prom a hand?” Noctis says, quietly as he passes Gladio. “Don’t just go up to your room to read.”

“I can’t believe _you_ are lecturing _me_ not to be lazy,” Gladio hisses, just as low.

“Bye, Prom,” Noctis waves, running to catch up to Ignis.

“Bye,” Prompto tosses over his shoulder from his position on his knees on top of the counter, trying to pull down a large serving bowl, his shorts riding high on his thighs and straining against his backside.

Gladio sighs, hanging his head, as he makes his way over to assist the smaller man. “You know, I could have probably just reached that.”

Prompto looks down at Gladio with a grin. “Nah, I’m pretty sure you’d still have to climb up here, Big Guy.”

There is a pleasant shiver up Gladio’s torso, settling uncomfortably in his suddenly peaked nipples and his lower belly as he looks up into the freckled face and sly violet gaze of Noctis’s best friend. The term of endearment, if it were to be called that, is to Gladio _inherently_ flirtatious. Referencing his size, if anyone were to ask, is probably Gladio’s biggest turn-on. He likes the idea of being the Big Guy, holding slim hips or waists in his broad hands and bending to press heated, open-mouthed kisses on to lips below him.

And suddenly that is all he can think about. Pulling Prompto down from the counter, onto his feet and trapping him between the cabinets and his own body as he plunders his pink, pretty mouth.

Despite his mounting suspicions that Prompto is currently involved with, and trying to sexually corrupt, his future King.

Gladio shakes his head a bit, and if Prompto notices, he doesn’t comment on it. His wires are getting crossed. He has all of these plans to sneak out and back to Altissia, to a bar or a nightclub, to find someone who would be willing to put hands on him. And here he is, instead, standing in a warm kitchen with dimmed lighting, looking into purple-blue eyes with long lashes.

Gladio swallows.

“Here,” Prompto says, handing over the dish, and if only a few seconds have elapsed between the new pet name and this moment, Gladio is surprised. It feels like ten years have passed. It’s like he is moving through muck, thinking through a fog. A long, encroaching darkness. He takes the bowl and sets it carefully down on the marble island, just as Prompto hops down from his perch to hunt for the remaining items.

“Wanna take half?”

“Huh?” Gladio says, brilliantly.

“The list,” Prompto holds it out, the page already crinkled beyond belief. “If we get it done faster we can relax a little until the guys get back.”

Gladio likes that option, likes the promise of freedom from the torture of being in Prompto’s presence, and nods. Prompto tears the note in half, sliding Gladio’s portion across the surface of the island and busying himself with his items.

Blissfully, they work in silence until Prompto’s phone chirps again and he lifts the device to his ear.

“Hey,” He says, and it comes out breathy. Gladio perks up his ears, as if he can hear the other end of the line if he tries hard enough. “Yeah, definitely bring that,” Prompto says, and Gladio thinks that maybe it’s Noctis, and maybe the voice Prompto uses on the phone with him is just a little bit more intimate than in person. “Mm-hm. See you soon.” It’s almost a swoon.

Did Prompto forget that Gladio was in the room? Or maybe Prompto assumes that whatever is going on between him and Noctis is common knowledge?

Gladio wishes Ignis would just get back and finish cooking so Gladio can take him aside and have some things explained.

=||==========>

In ten minutes, they’re done hunting down all of the cookware that Ignis requested and lounging on the couch, Gladio deep into his book and Prompto on his phone, smiling down at the thing with adoring eyes. Either he is looking at pictures of chocobos again or he’s texting with someone very precious, and Gladio can tell from the faint flush that it’s the latter. Gladio tries to pay attention to his reading, but it’s very, very difficult.

Noctis bursts into the villa with arms full of groceries, huffing under their weight. “Thanks for the help, _Gladio_ ,” he grumbles, and Gladio wonders why Noct’s ire is up and aimed at _him_.

“Uh,” Gladio tilts his head at Noctis, his brows drawn heavily over his eyes in frustration. “How was I supposed to know you were back? Blondie didn’t tell me.”

“Huh?” It’s Prompto’s turn to be confused. “I didn’t know either,” He says, sounding a bit apologetic despite there being no fault on his part.

“I texted you five minutes ago that we were on our way back,” Noctis shoots at Gladio as he thunks the bags down on the table.

“I don’t have my phone on me,” Gladio says. “I thought you were texting with _him_ for the last ten minutes.”

“I wasn’t,” Noctis answers, making his way back to the boat. “Ignis and I need more help, there’s a lot of groceries and someone’s gotta get started putting the cold stuff away.”

“Be right there,” Prompto sings, jumping off the couch to pull his sandals on and join them outside.

Gladio glances down at the phone Prompto has left behind, wondering who he has been texting if it isn’t his beloved Prince.

Slipping his bookmark into place, he rises from the comfort of the sofa and moves into the kitchen to begin storing all of the food Ignis has splurged on. He finds a number of bags of chips and candy, and ah. The reason for Noctis’s sudden helpful streak becomes clear.

=||==========>

Dinner is delicious as always, when Ignis is in charge, and after they all help to clean up a bit, they are ready to retire to their rooms, despite the earlier promise of drinking. Gladio is especially tired, enough so that he doesn’t corner Ignis for information. He’ll round him up in the morning.

Noctis and Ignis bid Prompto and Gladio goodnight as they head to their rooms. Prompto has a slight skip in his step despite the relative low energy of the rest of the group.

“G’night, dude,” Prompto says before pushing through the door and Gladio grunts an affirmative, shouldering into his room, stripping his clothes down to his boxer briefs and flopping boneless onto the bed. He dozes for a few moments before he hears Prompto’s voice from the other room, distant and muffled, but clear enough that he can tell he’s back on his phone again.

Gladio sighs, trying to drown out the sound, cursing his bad luck that he got stuck next to the chattiest person on Eos. There is a titter of laughter that curls low in Gladio’s guts, and he tries to press his face into the bed hard enough to will it away.

Gladio lays with his body sinking into the plush mattress, on his stomach, his cock throbbing fitfully against the pressure of being pressed against the surface and his own stomach, begging the Astrals for a reprieve from his embarrassingly easily aroused nature, and also, his unfortunate taste.

=||==========>

Gladio doesn’t know what he’s expecting when he makes his way downstairs in the morning, but it is certainly not to find Noctis awake at such an early hour.

It is also not to find him kissing Ignis in the kitchen.

Gladio blinks, almost as if he believes it’s a trick of his bleary eyes, as they both turn their heads toward him. Ignis is pressed against the center island as Noctis grips his hips, their fronts flush together and a pinkness to their cheeks that suggests they’ve been doing this for at least a few minutes before Gladio arrived.

Gladio just stands there, trying to comprehend that his Prince is a sexual being, and, even more shocking, Ignis is the recipient of his advances.

“Busted,” Noctis says, sighing and pushing his forehead into Ignis’s collarbone, as he drops his hands from Ignis’s hips, defeated.

“Gladio,” Ignis begins, diplomatically. “We should explain.”

“What is there to explain?” Gladio says, looking between their two faces with disbelief. “You’re hooking up. Makes perfect sense.” Gladio does not mean the words he is saying, and apparently his sarcastic tone conveys it, because Noctis looks up with a scowl and Ignis pushes up his glasses in a way that might be construed as guilt.

“It does, actually,” Noctis fires at him, moving with a stance that Gladio recognizes, since he taught it to him. Noctis is ready for a fight. Ignis puts a hand on his shoulder. “What?”

“Noct,” Ignis calms him. “Give him some time, it’s probably quite a shock. He hasn’t seen us in almost a year, he hasn’t had any clue of what was happening.”

And that stings, like a punch straight to the gut, and Gladio is storming away frustrated and confused.

Ignis is the one known for his level-headedness and dependability. How he is justifying this relationship to himself is beyond Gladio’s understanding.

It burns him, that Ignis, of all people, is exploring his happiness beyond his duty, and Gladio is just… stuck. Can’t look beyond it.

Can’t see Noctis as a person, rather than a burden of lineage, apparently.

 _Ah,_ Gladio thinks, scrubbing a hand through his hair. _I’m the asshole, here._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gladio is not the world's greatest detective. ♡( ◡‿◡ ) The horniness is blocking his brain.


	3. striving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An apology, a run, and a waterfall.

“We’re heading out,” Noctis calls out to the house, Ignis already outside at the boat. 

Gladio nods from his seat at the sofa, even though Noctis isn’t really talking to _him_ ; hasn’t been for two days now. Gladio is slow to apologize, but he will. He’s had time to think, and time to work it out in his head, and what Noctis said is true. It does make sense. They’re together nearly all of the time, and if there is anyone who cares more about Noctis than Ignis, Gladio doesn’t know them.

Prompto pokes his head out of the kitchen and says a quick goodbye to Noct before returning to whatever he is doing in there. Gladio has been steadily avoiding _him_ , too.

Every night he can hear Prompto on the phone in his room, and just the low, intimate tone he’s using, and the muffled sound of his laugh, is enough to bring yearning thoughts unbidden. Gladio tries to busy himself in other rooms until he’s sure that Prompto has gone quiet for the night, and the constant late hours are dragging on him. As it is, he’s barely functional today, so he remains on the couch in nothing but lounge shorts, and reads, dozing every once in a while.

It’s after his latest nap that he wakes and finds his book folded neatly on the table, his bookmark in place, even though he knows he fell asleep with it open on his chest. Next to the book is a tall glass of water, condensation beading the surface.

“You’re up,” Prompto smiles at him, perched on the loveseat, snug against the plush throw pillows with his knees up to support his arms as he plays a game on his phone. “What’s got you so exhausted?”

 _You,_ Gladio thinks, but can’t bring that up, even just to ask that Prompto keep his phone calls relegated to the common rooms so Gladio can get a decent night’s sleep for once. “I dunno.”

“Is it the fight with Noct?” Prompto asks, and Gladio feels a bit guilty that it isn’t. “Because he and Iggy are like, super great together, you know? It’s probably strange to think since you’ve all known each other for so long-”

“No, I get it,” Gladio says, smoothing his hair back down as he sits up and grabs the glass of water. “I was just... surprised.” He takes a long drink of the cold liquid, muttering a thanks under his breath as he tilts the cup toward Prompto in recognition.

“Then how come you haven’t made up yet?” Prompto says with a pitying smile. Like Gladio is a child that Prompto has to lead in the proper direction, and that just irks him. He’s the eldest of the four of them and he’s the one acting like the kid.

“I’m stubborn, what can I say?”

“Say you’re _sorry_ ,” Prompto shrugs, folding his legs under himself as he sits up more fully. “Then we can get back to having fun together. I don’t wanna have to third-wheel Ignoct.”

“Ignoct?”

“It’s their celebrity couple name, duh,” Prompto says with a cheeky grin.

“Ah,” Gladio nods, and he will apologize, when the two of them get back. It’s… nice to see them both happy, and if they can make it work, then more power to them.

Prompto smiles, and Gladio feels like cringing away from the shine of his bright face. It’s infuriatingly pretty, his smooth, pale skin dotted with freckles, a sharp jaw and piercing eyes. If Gladio had half the guts Ignis had, he would do something about it.

“So, who’ve you been texting so much?” Gladio asks, even if they’re not quite close enough for him to ask.

“Oh,” Prompto colors a bit, fiddling with something on his phone screen. He doesn’t get to answer, though, because Noctis and Ignis have returned from their outing, dragging two full stringers of fish into the villa.

“Check it,” Noct says, smug, holding up the bundles of multicolored ocean fish. “I killed it out there today.”

“Damn,” Gladio nods, offering his praise as an icebreaker to their feud. “Nice job, Noct.”

Noctis doesn’t respond, but a slight smile twitches on the edge of his lips, so Gladio counts it as a tiny victory.

“Prom, come help,” Noctis says as he moves on to the kitchen, dumping his prizes into the sink.

“Uh, yuck, dude,” Prompto shakes his head. “I’ll help eat ‘em, but I am not touching those slimy things. Gladio, you go.”

Gladio raises an eyebrow at Prompto when the shorter man nods his head toward the kitchen as a pointed suggestion to use the situation to make up. Rather than resist, Gladio sighs and heaves himself off the couch to take his place next to Noct at the sink. Ignis seems to hang back in the living area with Prompto. Gladio will just apologize to him later.

“Hey,” Gladio nudges Noctis’s arm with his elbow. “What can I do?”

“Get your head out of your ass, for starters,” Noctis grumbles, but hands him one of the stringers. “Get these guys off there and I’ll show you how to gut ‘em.”

“As long as _I’m_ not getting gutted right after,” Gladio jokes, and Noct snorts.

“We’ll see.”

They work in silence for a few moments, and Gladio works up the nerve to admit he was being an idiot. It takes effort. Gladio isn’t used to admitting to much of anything, much less that he is wrong about his two friends becoming a couple.

“Sorry I reacted like that,” Gladio finally says, slapping a fish down on the paper towels in front of him. “I was really shocked, and you know how I usually act when I’m taken by surprise. I lash out.”

“Yeah, you’re an absolute dick when you realize you don’t know everything,” Noctis side-eyes him. He’s not wrong.

“Fair,” Gladio nods, releasing another fish from the tangle. “I feel like so much has happened back home, and I don’t know about any of it.”

“Well, you’ve been out here sowing your wild oats,” Noctis shrugs, cleaning the two fish Gladio has freed. Noctis’s stringer is already empty, the other fish draining in the second side of the sink. “And we weren’t sure how people would react, so we kept it quiet for a while.”

“Who else knows, besides Blondie?” Gladio thinks that if he’s the last to know, he might have to leave the room and strangle a pillow or something.

“Just Dad,” Noctis answers, and Gladio feels relieved. Then, worried.

“How’d he take that?” Gladio asks, truly concerned. Noctis is betrothed, has been since birth, but with the current situation in the world, it might not be binding. Still, wouldn’t want to risk an international incident a mere ten years after disbanding the most destructive country in the world.

“He’s fine with it,” Noctis smiles, and it’s a rare and precious heartwarming thing. “He knows how much Ignis means to me. Luna’s my friend, of course, one of my best. But she’s not here. And she’s not him.”

Gladio smiles at that, too. It’s terribly adorable, and as much as he hates showing anyone his warm heart, it’s kind of too wonderful to hide that he’s happy for them.

Something comes over him, some desire to share a nice moment, and a realization that he needs to open himself up more if he wants to be close with people, so he grabs Noct in a one-armed side-hug.

“Dude,” Noct grimaces. “You’re getting your fish hands all over my shirt!”

“Deal with it, Princess,” Gladio laughs. “I’m happy for you guys.”

“Thanks,” Noct says, his frown shifting to a pleased, blushing smile.

=||==========>

The next morning, Gladio makes his way downstairs, just as the sun comes up, to go on a run. He ties the longish strands of his undercut into a tiny top knot as he descends, rounding the corner into the living area to make his way to the kitchen, when he’s stopped short by Prompto stretching quite flexibly in the middle of the room. In spandex shorts. And a loose tank top that slips over his arms as he bends forward, almost off of his body altogether.

“Mornin’!” Prompto chirps, energetic, and shifts out of the stretch to stand normally. The tank top dips over one shoulder, his left nipple hanging out of the opposite side as the shirt slides. It’s all very criminal. “Where’re you goin’, Big Guy?”

Gladio swallows, and the circuits in his brain fire out a response. “Run.”

It’s not a _complete_ sentence, but it’s a thought, at least.

“Nice!” Prompto smiles, all blazing like the sun from five feet away, and tugs his shirt back on a bit better, completely unaware of the effect it is having on Gladio. “Can I join you? I haven’t had a ‘running buddy’ in… well, ever, really, unless you count my neighbor, but he was like, wicked older than me. A ‘running older brother’, I guess. Ha, ha.”

“Yeah, of course,” Gladio answers, the intellect returning to his mind, finally. “I’m just grabbing some water to take with. It might be early, but it’s still pretty hot out there.”

“For sure,” Prompto nods, following close behind him, and Gods, Gladio can smell his fresh, citrusy scent, a mix of the body wash that turned up in the upstairs shower and what must be Prompto’s natural aroma. “I swear, it’s good that we’re right on the ocean, but even the water is like jumping into a warm bath. Kinda wish this place had a pool.”

“That would be nice,” Gladio agrees, trying to breathe through his mouth. “Though it’s supposed to cool off later this week. Maybe we’ll get lucky and the wind’ll shift some of the colder water out here to us.”

“Ahhh,” Prompto says, dreamily, “If only.”

Gladio hands him a water bottle from the refrigerator, and Prompto holds it to his neck.

“I’m already sweating and I’ve only done some light stretching,” His hair is slightly sticking to his neck and forehead. There is a damp spot on his shirt nestled in the cleft of his chest. “What do you say we run the perimeter of the island and then see if we can find that waterfall?”

“Waterfall?” Gladio asks, following behind Prompto as he exits the kitchen through the sliding glass doors out to the verandah.

“You can’t hear that?” Prompto points toward the bluffs, and yes, he can hear the hiss of a stream. “Definitely a waterfall, dude. With like, mist and a rainbow, I bet. Mermaids, probably.”

Gladio laughs. The guy has an imagination, and it’s refreshing in comparison to Ignis’s steadfast earnestness and Noct’s sullen sobriety.

Prompto begins a light jog, and on the sand it’s brutal. Gladio keeps up, but only just, feeling the drag of the terrain wearing on his stamina a lot more quickly than he’d anticipated. But still, Prompto chugs along, looking pleased, even, as he takes in the scenery around them.

Gladio’s near to panting, can’t even begin to perceive his surroundings, unless a fit, perky blond counts.

They’ve only been going about five minutes, but Gladio has to drop back into a walk. Prompto doesn’t notice at first, and Gladio is not about to draw attention to it.

Prompto says something, but Gladio can’t make out Prompto’s words as the distance between them lengthens. The blond head turns back to where he expects Gladio to be, and when he finds Gladio hanging back, he turns around, jogging backwards, at a pace much slower than before. “Gettin’ tuckered out, Big Guy?”

“I got a lot more weight on you,” Gladio says, huffing a bit. “And maybe I haven't made as much time for exercise in the past few months. Been busy with books and conferences.”

“Don’t worry,” Prompto grins, just a few feet ahead of him. “I’ll whip you back into shape.” He turns forward again, and Gladio is happy that the running gives him an excuse for the sweat pouring off of him.

“Let’s go for another two minutes, then we’ll take a walking break,” Prompto says from ahead, then exhales loudly with effort. “This is some thirsty work!”

 _Thirsty is right,_ Gladio thinks, picking up his speed again and catching up with the petite athlete.

=||==========>

It turns out that there is, indeed, a waterfall in the forested bluffs behind the villa. It’s a good fifteen feet high, and the pool below is dark, presumably due to depth. Gladio watches from knee high water as Prompto climbs the vines and rock ledges up to the top, worry clinging in Gladio’s ribs. The dude is like a monkey, though, finding hand-holds all the way up, and then he’s sitting on the side swinging his legs like a kid.

“Dude, this is awesome,” Prompto yells down. “You should come up here! We can cannonball off!”

“Let me check how deep it is, first!” Gladio shouts back. “Reckless idiot,” He adds under his breath.

“I got it!” Prompto replies, and then before Gladio can object, he’s jumping and curling his knees to his chest.

“Prompto!” Gladio cries, but it’s far too late. The guy is already splashing into the water, the spray soaking Gladio from head to toe. Watching the spot where Prompto entered, Gladio’s heart is hammering away, getting more and more worried as the moments turn into minutes.

Gladio splashes further into the water, up to his hips, intending to dive down and search for the surely unconscious _moron_ , until something grabs his ankle and he is dragged under.

Thrashing wildly, Gladio opens his eyes and there is Prompto, laughing the air out of his lungs just before surfacing. Gladio bursts out of the water with a rough, incoherent shout.

“Asshole,” Gladio splashes him. “I thought you broke your head open!”

Prompto is laughing hysterically. Gladio grabs him, squeezing him under one thick bicep, but it doesn’t bother Prompto in the slightest.

“You’re lucky we put our phones on the rock over there,” Gladio warns, releasing him. “If you dragged me under with it in my pocket, I’d be drowning you for real, right now.”

“No you wouldn’t,” Prompto guffaws. “First of all, Noct would have your head. Second of all, you’re too nice to do that.”

“I’m not nice,” Gladio says, indignant. “I’m-”

“Cuddly?” Prompto supplies, throwing his arms over Gladio’s shoulders and hugging him.

“Shut up-”

“How about cuuuuute?” Prompto tries pinching Gladio’s cheeks, which are now burning up with embarrassment. Hopefully the heat will act as an excuse for the flush.

“Knock it off,” Gladio growls, pushing the blond head under the water before diving below the surface and swimming away. The water is clean and clear, and thankfully fresh. The pool really is deep, given how dark blue the void is below him, and how chilly the water is. They may have just found the perfect swimming hole for the rest of the summer if the heat keeps up. 

Prompto catches up to him, suddenly, grabbing wildly for his legs and catching a handful of Gladio’s running shorts. The small hand tugs hard and nearly pantses Gladio, so he surfaces and sputters with exasperation.

Prompto pops out of the water, his hair slopped over his eyes until he shoves the wet mess out of the way.

“You nearly took my shorts off,” Gladio growls, hoping his face isn’t giving away the excited tremor of his breath.

“My bad,” Prompto chuckles, shrugging as best he can while treading water. “Man, this thing really drops off. I can’t even see the bottom down there.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty awesome,” Gladio says, wiping some loose strands of his own hair back from his eyes. He’s been toying with the idea of changing up his undercut for something new and shorter. “We’re gonna have to drag Princess out here when he wakes up.” He begins to swim to shore, a bit cold now.

“Oh, he and Iggy went out early this morning to get to the farmer’s market nearer to Altissa,” Prompto says as he follows. “I’m hoping they bring back some oranges. I found a juicer in the pantry this morning when I was poking around, looking for my breakfast bars.”

“Noctis Lucis Caelum got up before the _sun_?” Gladio gapes, stepping onto land with unsure legs after floating in the water. “How?”

“Love is a powerful thing,” Prompto laughs. He pulls the loose tank top off to wring it out, and the spandex is clinging in interesting ways. Gladio pointedly turns away, but Prompto is too distracted with drying off to notice. “He’s been adhering to Ignis’s schedule for a while now. Early to bed, early to rise. ‘Cept on Fridays when we have a gaming night.”

“King’s Knight?”

“Actually, Dungeons and the Draconian,” Prompto answers, throwing the still damp tank over one shoulder as he grabs the remainder of his bottled water and chugs it.

“You guys play a party of two?” Gladio says, disbelieving. It’s been some years since he played, because they could never find a fourth that would dependably show up. “Who’s Game Master?”

“We’re actually a party of three-” Prompto begins, but a phone sounds from the rock nearby. It’s a poppy radio hit, so it’s not Gladio’s. “Sorry, hang on.”

Prompto answers the call, and walks off toward the roar of the falls for privacy.

They have a fourth, somehow. And it’s not him. Gladio doesn’t really want to know more. It kind of hurts. Have they replaced him while he was away? And with who?

Gladio checks his phone and finds a text from Ignis saying they’ve returned to drop off the items they purchased, but they’re leaving again to go out to lunch. They had tried to call a few times but when they didn’t receive an answer they decided to go alone. _It’s fine._ Gladio thinks. _I’m gonna be gone for another year after this. Maybe they **should** replace me._

Prompto jogs back, his hair beginning to dry in funny ways already.

“Sorry ‘bout that,” Prompto says, tucking his phone away in his fanny pack.

“Your parents?” Gladio asks.

“Oh, uh,” Prompto hesitates for a moment. “Yeah. They’re just checking in. They’re on another trip to Graelea, so they didn’t get to see me off.”

“Mmm,” Gladio hums, a short, non-committal sound. “Iggy and Noct are going out to lunch. Said they couldn’t get hold of us so they went on ahead.”

“Damn,” Prompto sags. “I wanted to go with them, they said the place was ‘authentic Accordan cuisine’. Ah, well. At least we had fun, didn’t we?” He brightens, patting Gladio on the upper arm.

“Yeah,” Gladio says. _We did. ‘Til I found out you guys are moving on from me._

=||==========>

They return to the house and Prompto suggests that they make something for lunch, together, after they shower. Gladio takes his stuff to the ensuite bath in Noct’s room so that Prompto can have the upstairs. And so he doesn’t have to be in proximity to Prompto while he’s showering.

When Gladio pushes into the room, he can tell that Ignis has been staying here _with_ Noct, the other room presumably not having been touched by either of them.

 _Must be nice,_ Gladio sighs.

Gladio pulls off his shorts and unties his hair, slick with sweat from the return trip. He turns the water to cold, for more than one reason, and slips into the stall, hissing as the icy water sluices down his overheated skin.

He tries to purge the thoughts of Prompto’s lithe, wet body from his mind, but it’s like trying not to think of pink chocobos. All he can see behind his closed eyes are Prompto’s slim but powerful thighs, tight shorts fit snug against a pert bottom, and brilliantly vibrant purple-blue eyes that shine with humor above soft pink lips.

He tries to avoid his steadily rising member for as long as he can, but once his hair and upper body are clean, he has no choice but to pay attention to his very insistent manhood. He pretends for a few minutes that he’s only going to do his due diligence in getting clean, but once his soapy hand slicks across his shaft, he can’t fool himself anymore.

_Prompto smiles up at him, not that dazzling curve of lips that he usually has, but the sly wicked grin he reserves for when he’s being mischievous. His soft, small hand curls around Gladio’s length, slipping slickly over him in long, tight strokes._

_“Mmm,” Prompto hums, staring up into Gladio’s eyes with barely contained hunger. “Knew I called you ‘Big Guy’ for a reason.”_

Gladio gasps, pushing his face under the stream of chilly water, hoping to draw his arousal back from the brink. It’s pretty much too late, but at least he’s really alone, and no one can know his private shame of coming within moments.

_”So excited,” Prompto says, smug. “But you’re not quite done getting cleaned up, are you?” His free hand reaches behind Gladio, soapy and exploring, pushing between his cheeks to the ring of muscle. “Let’s get you all squeaky, and then I will make an absolute mess in you.”_

Gladio chokes back his shout of completion as he shoots his load against the cold tile wall, one hand on his cock and two fingers inside himself, pulsing more and more until he is absolutely empty.

“Fuck,” Gladio breathes, or tries to. “ _Fuck_.”

=||==========>

Prompto is already in the kitchen when Gladio comes out of Noct and Ignis’s room, and he tries to school himself into a casual demeanor, even though his heart is tripping over itself. He really needs to get this crush under control before it becomes an actual problem.

“Hey, Big Guy,” Prompto smiles, filling a glass with pineapple juice.

 _Shit,_ Gladio thinks, his mind whirling, conjuring up the imagined version of Prompto that had just used his pet name. Luckily he’s come recently enough that he couldn’t possibly get hard again already. Hopefully. _It is going to be impossible to just exist in his presence if he insists on calling me that._

“I was thinking of wraps for lunch,” Prompto says, completely unaware of Gladio’s crisis of conscience. “We’ve got that leftover fish from last night and some fresh veggies from the guys’ market trip.”

“You think Ignis will let us live if we use something he was intending to make for dinner?”

“Uh, that’s something else you should know,” Prompto says, a little huff of laughter in his words. “Ignis is like, a lot more chill now. Like, a _lot_ more.”

“So everyone’s changing,” Gladio sighs. “Noct is waking up early, Ignis is no longer uptight, you’re all…” He gestures, vaguely, at all of Prompto.

“I’m all…?” Prompto blinks up, expectantly.

He’s out of his running gear and back into his slightly punky, sexy clothes. This time, it’s distressed plaid capri pants that hug his thighs and ass, a long chain hanging decoratively from his back belt loop to his front pocket, and a tight black tank with stylized skulls all over it. His hair is styled spiky again. Accessories all up his arms.

“Ya know,” Gladio says, lamely trying to think of adjectives that have nothing to do with how attractive Gladio finds him. “Alternative. Last time I saw you, you were all floppy haired and innocent schoolboy-looking.”

Prompto blinks and smiles devilishly. “Are you doubting my innocence, sir? Slanderous.”

“I think when you look at me like that, I have no choice,” Gladio replies, and _oh, no, no, abort, go back, undo it._

“Hmm,” Prompto smirks, an eyebrow raised, and that combo is just pure sin. “Guess I’ll have to watch myself, then.” Stepping into Gladio’s personal bubble, and leaning a hip against the counter, Prompto looks like he wants to say more. Then, his phone blares that obnoxious song again. He jumps a little, fishing the device out of his pants with difficulty, given how tight they are. “Shit, sorry, be right back.”

Gladio watches him slip out the sliding doors again, pacing around the outdoor lounge area with a flush to his cheeks and a fond smile. Gladio wonders who is making him blush, considering the conversation they just had didn’t have the same effect. Can’t be his Mom and Dad.

Shaking it off, Gladio gathers the ingredients they’ll need, along with every condiment and topping he can find in the kitchen, to begin building a very large lunch. Suddenly, he’s ravenous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: how do i get around the slow burn? i wanna write sexytimes.  
> also me: ah ha, just let gladio jerk it a little, as a treat  
> me: perfect


	4. swaying

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner, dancing and drinking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Underage drinking ahoy.

Noctis and Ignis return from their lunch date with plans to head to Altissia for the evening. They’ve discovered a nightclub on the outskirts of the city and it’s meant to be fairly lax with checking IDs at the bar. Gladio is down to go, but Ignis has some reservations with bringing the two younger guys out to drink.

“Specs,” Gladio sighs. “Live a little, man. You’re dating the Crown Prince of Insomnia. How have you not developed a rebellious streak yet? I’m counting on you to lead the way.”

“I suppose,” Ignis sighs, then turns his gaze on Noctis. “But I’m not going to be the one to explain to your father if you’re- oh, who am I kidding, of course I’m going to be the one doing the explaining.”

“If you think Dad won’t just laugh it off, you’re wrong,” Noctis smiles. “He’s told me a ton of stories from when he and Clarus were young. They did some _shit_.”

“ _My_ Dad?” Gladio raises an eyebrow in disbelief. “Old man’s been holding out on me.”

“Prom!” Noctis calls out, since the house is small enough to hear a shout from any room.

“Be down in a sec,” Prompto shouts back. He’s been up in his room for the better part of the afternoon since they’d finished lunch.

“I don’t think he’s been this quiet since I met him,” Gladio says, looking up at the ceiling as if he could see the blond through the floor of his room.

“They’re always like this,” Noctis says, sighing. “If they were in separate classes in school they’d be texting-”

“You say ‘they’ as if I know who you’re talking about,” Gladio says with lidded eyes. “I haven’t been around you jerks, so you gotta tell me-”

“Hey, sorry!” Prompto says, jogging into the room. “Listen, are we doing anything tonight, because if not, I am heading back to the waterfall, it is too damn hot-”

“We’re going out to a club,” Noctis interrupts his tirade. “Got a great tip on a place that won’t check our IDs.”

“Awesome,” Prompto grins. “I swear, what is two months? I should be able to do whatever.”

“Try being only a week away,” Noctis says, laughing. “It’s even more frustrating.”

“We’re not going to get so inebriated we can’t make it home tonight,” Ignis warns. “Just pleasantly buzzed.”

“Yes, Mom,” Prompto rolls his eyes, but then cocks his head with a thoughtful expression. “Actually, my mom probably wouldn’t even say that. She’d just tell me not to take a drink from a stranger and to always carry my pepper spray.”

“Mama Argentum sounds like a badass,” Gladio laughs.

“She’s something, alright,” Noctis mutters.

“Hey,” Prompto lightly punches Noctis’s arm. “Don’t be mean about my mom. She’s doing her best.”

“I guess.”

“Both of your parents’ work for the Crown has been vital and immeasurable,” Ignis acknowledges. “Still, I wish they hadn’t left you unsupervised so often.”

“Aw, Iggy,” Prompto says, slipping behind Noctis to wrap Ignis in a hug that the older man doesn’t quite look comfortable with. “It’s nice that you care. But I turned out fine!”

“Yeah, except for that time when you broke your finger and didn’t say anything to anyone,” Noctis retorts. “You were real fine when they had to re-break it and give you a _remedy_.”

“Look,” Prompto shrugs. “It didn’t hurt that bad. Otherwise I would’ve called Dad.”

“It was purple!” Noct barks, and Ignis intervenes with an arm between them.

“Enough,” Ignis sighs. “Let us move on to more enjoyable topics. Such as what we’ll fix for dinner.”

“I want Daggerquill curry,” Gladio says, knowing it’s Prompto’s favorite. The guy deserves something nice after _that_ little story.

“Too many veggies,” Noctis grimaces, but seems to relent, probably for the same reason Gladio had suggested it. “But I guess.”

Ignis sets them all to work and dinner is ready in almost no time with their combined efforts. Gladio takes a silent pleasure in watching Prompto’s face light up as he takes his first bite of the meal.

“What’re you smiling about?” Noct asks Gladio from across the table, next to Prompto.

“Food’s good, is all,” Gladio shrugs, casually. “Also, it’s pretty great to be here, with you guys. I missed you.”

The table goes silent, each of the men around him staring at him like he’s just told a shocking joke.

“Gladio,” Ignis begins, from his right, “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but… are you… well?”

“Huh?”

“Yeah, are you dying or something?” Noctis says, and Prompto elbows him, hard. “What! Yesterday he _hugged_ me. Not grabbed me and messed up my hair, _hugged_. Now he’s telling us he missed us?”

“The only reasoning I can fathom is either he is terminally ill,” Ignis says in a calm and even tone that betrays his humor, “Or that he was abducted by aliens and replaced with something else.”

“Great, loving this,” Gladio smirks and shakes his head. “Really encouraging a guy to be open with his feelings.”

“It’s nice, Gladio,” Prompto says, reaching out to pat Gladio’s hand from across the table. “Some might even say... ‘cute’.” Prompto raises his eyebrow, trying to contain his smug grin. He’d called Gladio cute yesterday at the falls, and if Prompto thinks he isn’t going to face consequences for rehashing that, he is wrong. Gladio files the little dig away for payback later, when they return to the swimming hole, and Gladio will _toss_ him off the outcropping.

“Laugh it up, you guys,” Gladio says, rather than acknowledge the comment. “You’re only making it easier to _not_ miss you when I go to Tenebrae.”

The conversation steers in meandering directions, and even though they’d poked fun at him, it was in a loving way, so Gladio feels, all in all, relieved about confessing his fondness for his friends. Who knew emotional vulnerability could make a person feel _good_?

=||==========>

The club is called _Tsunami_ , and it is very dark, mostly lit with blacklight, the walls and furniture decorated with neon paint colors to light up the space. Many of the people in attendance are dressed colorfully to match the aesthetic, and are most likely regulars and locals.

This was apparently not communicated to Noctis, because he didn’t mention anything when they were getting themselves ready, the majority of their clothes in Lucian black and other dark colors. Prompto and Gladio are a bit of an exception, both of them wearing white shirts that glow like beacons in the purple lighting.

Gladio feels a little too dressed up in his white button-down, so he uncuffs the sleeves and rolls them up to his elbows, undoing a few of his buttons as well and untucking the back. He’s styled the length of his hair to one side, some pieces falling into his eyes, but it will have to do until he gets a trim.

Prompto is wearing tiny black shorts with garter-like belts around his thighs, and Gladio might pass out if he lets himself look at _that_ for too long. Prom’s top is an oversized tee with a boatneck collar that hangs off of one shoulder. Also fairly distracting. Why can’t this guy buy clothes that fit? Everything Gladio has seen has been a combination of too tight bottoms and oversized tops.

Noctis dresses up his usual look by wearing a loose, purple scarf around his neck, as well as a few armbands that Gladio suspects he stole from Prompto. Ignis… doesn’t look much different than when he’s in Insomnia, but his hair is styled messier than he would normally allow, which has to be Noctis’s influence at work.

The moment they get inside, the two of them are obnoxiously couple-y, and Gladio finds himself moving toward the bar in need of social lubrication. Prompto seems to follow him, not wanting to accompany the happy couple to the dance floor right away.

Gladio realizes that at this rate, he’s going to be entertaining Prompto more than he realized tonight. His plan was to try to go home with someone, anyone, and get this whole virginity thing over with, once and for all.

“Hey,” Prompto says, shifting onto his toes to reach Gladio’s ear. Gladio bends a little to accommodate him. “I’m gonna grab a shot or four and then I’m gonna hit the dance floor. Don’t tell Ignis on me, okay?”

Gladio laughs. “I promise.”

“Ok, see you later,” Prompto says, and then he’s off on his own.

 _Well,_ Gladio thinks, a little relieved. _That went better than expected._

Ignis and Noct file back and forth for drinks and dancing, intermittently, and Gladio scans the crowd.

There are four or five people that Gladio likes the looks of, and two of them seem to be checking him out, too. He’s not much of a dancer, though, and so he sticks to the edge of the bar, nursing his drink. He wants a little liquid courage, but still wants full control of his faculties if he’s going to go through with his plan tonight.

“Hey,” Says a low, slightly raspy voice to his right. “You’re running on empty, there. Can I buy you another?”

She’s gorgeous, and he can’t believe he didn’t notice her before, almost right on top of him at the bar. Her long black hair is twisted in an elaborate braid over her left shoulder, and her makeup is dark and dramatic. Her clothing is simple, but it’s probably because she has numerous detailed tattoos visible as decoration, and that sparks his interest enormously. They’re the sort of thing he plans to get once he returns home from his studies, to mark his achievement and carry on the tradition of his family. Hers are tangling vines and flowers, all monochrome, and they curl over her curves in tantalizing ways.

“Sure,” Gladio answers, and she grabs the glass from his hand and raises it to the bartender a few feet away, waiting for his nod of acknowledgment before handing it back to Gladio. “Thanks.”

“I don’t think I’ve seen you here before,” She says, chewing on a cherry stem. “I’m Elara.” She holds out her hand, her nails painted as red as her lips.

“Gladio,” He takes her hand and drags his thumb over her knuckles. “I’m actually from Insomnia. Just here on a little vacation.”

“Crown City, huh?” She smiles, and it’s hungry. “This place must seem quaint.”

“Charming, more like,” Gladio replies, and he likes the way she laughs. “You’re from Altissia?”

“Next island over, on the east side,” Elara answers. “Close enough, though. You here alone?”

“No,” He points out to the dance floor. “My buddies are out there. I’m just not much of a dancer.” He glances briefly out to the crowd and catches a glimpse of Noct and Ignis making out at the edge of the throng, and a familiar shock of blond hair near the front, pressed up against a guy just slightly taller with a head of glowing pink hair.

 _Huh,_ Gladio thinks, watching Prompto writhing against the man with the beat. _That’s gonna be hard to forget._

“Well, today’s your lucky day,” Elara says, reclaiming his attention. “I’m a professional. Let me teach you.”

“You’re gonna have to get me a little more liquored up for that to happen,” Gladio smiles. “So let’s chat for a bit first.”

Elara laughs again, and it’s dark and dangerous, and Gladio is no longer concerned with what Prompto is doing in the slightest.

=||==========>

Because Gladio has been distracted by the gorgeous woman that doesn’t seem to be getting bored of him at all, despite how long they’ve been talking, he doesn’t realize that while Iggy and Noct have been preoccupied, Prompto has had his fair share of drinks.

It only comes to Gladio’s attention when he’s almost carried to the bar by a different man than before, looking glassy eyed and far too gone. They’re ordering more drinks, and Gladio watches to make sure Prompto gets what he orders and _only_ what he orders.

“Elara,” Gladio says, distracted. “Can you excuse me? My friend looks like he’s three sheets to the wind, I wanna make sure he’s making good decisions.”

“Sure thing,” She smiles, leaning on her elbow as she looks at him fondly. “You’re a good friend.”

“We’ll see if he feels that way,” Gladio says with a breathy laugh, and makes his way to the other end of the bar.

“Gladio!” Prompto says, voice slurred and far too loud. “There’re you are!”

 _Oh boy,_ Gladio braces himself for a lecture from Ignis. “Hey, buddy,” He says, reaching a hand out to Prompto, trying to draw him away from the man he’s wrapped around. There will be no more decisions made by Prompto tonight. Gladio is in charge now. “I wondered where you went off to. Let’s go sit down for a minute.”

“‘M waitin’ for my drink,” Prompto insists, but holds Gladio’s outstretched hand. The other man stubbornly won’t let go of his other arm. “Teron here just got me a Fira, ‘s supposed to taste like cinnamon an’ I wanna try it.”

“Okay,” Gladio says, appeasing. “But after that you’re getting cut off. Ignis’s gonna have my head.”

“Oh, shit,” Prompto says, as if he’s forgotten Ignis exists at all. “He’s gonna kill me. Don’ tell on me, okay, Gladio?”

“It’s gonna be pretty hard for him to not notice, Prom,” Gladio says, still trying to urge him away from the strange man.

“Hey,” Teron says, sounding stone-cold sober, and Gladio’s belly starts to burn with suspicion and, frankly, rage. “I thought you were comin’ with me, cutie?”

“I don’t think he can possibly make an informed decision right now,” Gladio says, firm. “He’s coming with me. If you want to make this a thing, just know that I can and will escalate.”

“Fine, whatever,” Teron finally lets Prom go, and the blond stumbles forward into Gladio’s arms. “Fucking tease.”

“Yo, fuck you!” Prompto shouts after him, and Gladio is almost proud. “What a dick. I nev’r said I was gonna fuck ‘im or nothin’.”

“Well, that’s good,” Gladio says, peaceably. “You’re not in the right frame of mind for a one night stand right now.” _And I guess, neither am I,_ Gladio thinks, looking back at where Elara sat, but she’s gone.

With Prompto’s weight in his arms, he kind of can’t care. The universe seems to keep pushing them together.

“Psssh,” Prompto scoffs, messily. “I wouldn’t have a one night stand, anyway. Oh! Gladio!” Prompto perks up a few moments after a new throbbing beat begins over the speakers. “I love this song, let’s dance!”

“Prom,” Gladio tries to drag him back to the stools near the bar. “Come on, bud. You’re barely standing.”

“Tha’s why you hafta come with me,” His smile is wobbly, but unfortunately very influential.

“Fine,” Gladio concedes. “One dance, then we’re gonna get you sobered up before Ignis and Noct come back from their makeout sesh on the dancefloor.”

“Yay!” Prompto celebrates, clinging to Gladio’s shirt as they make their slow and unsteady way to the edge of the crowd.

Gladio has to hold Prompto by the shoulder blades to keep him up, and Prompto shakes his head at Gladio, pushing one of his hands down to Prompto’s hip.

“C’mon,” Prompto slurs, laughing. “Don’tcha know how to do this?”

“No,” Gladio answers, truthfully. He’s the broody, stand-at-the-bar type. “I don’t like to dance, really.”

“Tha’s just ‘cause you’ve never danced with me,” Prompto says, matter-of-factly. “Here.”

By some miracle, he’s able to move under his own power and they get a bit of a sway going, not too far off the rhythm of the song, but any missteps could be attributed to intoxication, so Gladio doesn’t feel as self conscious as he might usually.

“Hey,” Prompto begins, and it’s a little hard for Gladio to focus because their legs are interlocked and Prompto is swaying very smoothly, despite his inebriation. “Thanks for gettin’ rid of that guy. I didn’t think he want’d to fuck me. That would’ve been bad.”

“Yeah,” Gladio agrees. “I’m happy I was here to intervene. You gotta be careful.”

“I just wanted to dance with him,” Prompto said, sounding a little sad. “I told him I have a boyfr’nd and he said he un’erstood.”

“Well,” Gladio says, frustrated that Prompto had to deal with this nonsense. “Making up a relationship isn’t always a solution. Some guys find it a challenge.”

“I’m not makin’ it up!” Prompto says, pushing himself off of Gladio’s thigh in indignation. “Certus just isn’ here or I’d dance with _him_. Ughh.”

“Certus?” Gladio says, holding Prompto steady now that he isn’t leaning his entire weight against Gladio. “Is that who you’ve been texting?”

“Yeah,” Prompto says, calming now that he knows he is believed. “He’s comin’ for Noct’s birthday but that’s so far away!”

“It’s in ten days, but sure,” Gladio says, laughing a little. Prompto’s pouting face is cute, and Gladio wishes that a lot of things were different right now, because his heart is breaking just a little.

 _Oh, well,_ He thinks, the blade of his practicality taking control and slicing away at the threads of infatuation, now that he knows Prompto isn’t free.

Prompto chooses that moment to press his face into Gladio’s chest as he leans heavily against the larger man again. A long sigh escapes his mouth, hot through the material of Gladio’s shirt, and Gladio holds him tighter as they both sway slowly, far off the rhythm of the upbeat song playing.

This might be one little stubborn thread that just won’t break. Gladio thinks maybe this time, it’s okay to be just a little impractical.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry Gladio! :C


	5. learning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Discussions of the past, not-quite a date, and a cozy evening with a book.

Gladio is laying across the couch with his book, twenty pages to the end, when Prompto pads down the stairs on bare feet, looking like death. His hair is stuck up in stubborn, messy spikes, and his eyes are shadowed purple with fatigue. He must have been wearing a bit of makeup the night before, because there’s also the drag of smudged eyeliner across his face on both sides.

“Hey, buddy,” Gladio greets him, internally laughing as Prompto cringes. “How’re you feeling?”

“Um,” Prompto tries, clearing his throat several times. “Like my head is a balloon about to explode in my skull, and like my bladder sucked all the fluid from my body. Seriously, I just pissed for like six entire minutes straight.”

“Sounds rough,” Gladio says, marking his page and setting the book down on the coffee table. “Sit down, I’ll get you some water and a potion shot.”

“Don’t mention shots,” Prompto says, flopping onto the plush surface and covering his eyes with an arm thrown over his face. “Where’re Noct and Iggy? I expect a lecture any time now.”

“They’re off on another of their little excursions,” Gladio says from the kitchen. “I think they were going to check out some museums today? I told them they should wait for you, but Ignis didn’t think you’d be up to it.”

“He was one-thousand percent correct, as usual.”

“Here,” Gladio hands Prompto a glass and a small vial of thick, menthol-smelling fluid as he sits down next to the wrung-out blond. “That should fix you up real good.”

“You’re a sweetheart,” Prompto says, taking a long gulp of the water, and Gladio’s heart thumps. “Hey, so, I don’t remember a ton of the end of the night, but I hope I thanked you for saving me from that total cockbag.”

“You did,” Gladio nods. “Not in those words, but yeah. Then you made me dance. It was awful.”

“Aw, you didn’t have fun?” Prompto frowns down at the little tube between his fingers, slightly glowing. Then his eyes widen with a sudden realization as he whips his head to look at Gladio, maybe a little too forcefully. He groans. “Shit, you were gonna hook up last night, weren’t you? I saw you talking to that super hot woman for like at least an hour.”

“It did seem that way, yeah,” Gladio shrugs. “But I’d rather make sure you were okay.”

“You’re so cool,” Prompto says, and shifts to lean his head against Gladio’s upper arm. “Really, man, that’s just so nice.”

“Happy to do it,” Gladio carefully pets the gel-crunchy spikes of hair. “Now toss that potion back so you can have a productive day.”

“Well, that wasn’t going to happen anyway,” Prompto sits up and uncaps the small tube, pressing it to his lips and tilting his head back as he sucks down the glowing blue fluid. “Gheeeehhhh,” He complains. “Not a fan.”

“Really?” Gladio says, taking the empty vial. “I like the way they taste.”

“I think I still have an aversion to them from when I was sick in middle school,” Prompto says. “I got really really bad food poisoning and I had to drink like five of those before I felt better. Then I had to go to the hospital because I kinda OD’d myself.”

“Yeah, you’re really not supposed to just throw them back in succession,” Gladio says, folding his hands together over his parted knees. “What’d you do, just chug them all?”

“Uh, not really,” Prompto lays back against the couch and presses fingers to his eyes. “I kept puking them up, so I just kept taking them. I didn’t know you weren’t supposed to.”

“But your mom and dad must have.”

“They weren’t home,” Prompto explains. “They had something going on in Tenebrae? Or maybe that was the year they went to South Niflheim. I can’t remember, I was like five years ago.”

“They were gone that long when you were that young?” Gladio is horrified. His mother wouldn’t even let him walk to school alone at that age.

“They were gone for like six months when I was eleven.” Prompto shrugs. “They’re important to the Kingsglaive. They have to be able to leave on a moment’s notice for indefinite amounts of time.”

“But they didn’t have, like, Cor or someone check up on you?” Gladio is a little furious, but he’s trying not to be too intense. He simply wonders how many people knew that Prompto was regularly abandoned, and who he needs to throttle.

“I’m a pretty self-sufficient person, Gladio,” Prompto says. “Mom and Dad trusted me to take care of myself and the apartment, and I rose to the occasion. They wanted me to be able to handle things. You know, like, in life.”

“But you got hospitalized,” Gladio points out. “And didn’t Noct tell a story last night of a broken finger you neglected to get fixed?”

“Well, I mean, I’m not _perfect_ ,” Prompto laughs, but Gladio doesn’t find it funny at all. “Still, I learned a lesson! Only one potion every six hours. Tell someone when you fall ass-over-teakettle off your bike on a pizza delivery and your finger makes a crunching sound. I’ve got it.”

Gladio is quiet. He doesn’t know what to say. _What about your emotional well-being? Who was taking care of **that**? When you were alone and sick and then in the hospital? Who was making sure you had someone to cry with?_ He thinks of his mother, holding him through the fever he had when his appendix became infected. The hand his father extended when he woke up in the hospital bed after his surgery. How scared he was even then.

“Whew,” Prompto says, beside him. “Damn, those potions are great, even if they taste like hell. I already feel fine.”

“Good,” Gladio says, still a bit frustrated for Prompto. “Take it easy, next time, okay?”

“Yeah, I will,” Prompto promises. “I was just feeling a little sad last night, so I made stupid drinking mistakes.”

“You could have talked with me,” Gladio says. “Instead of getting sad-drunk.”

“I didn’t want to interfere with you getting laid, duh,” Prompto laughs. “I’m not oblivious. You were dressed to impress last night, I wasn’t going to get in the way.”

“And yet?” Gladio teases. “I’m kidding. It’s fine, there will be other opportunities.”

“Okay, well,” Prompto says, standing, looking alive and energetic as usual. “I feel like I need to make it up to you. So I was looking at what’s around here, on my phone, and there’s apparently an old bookshop not too far away, with a cafe next door. Wanna go find your next obsession?”

“Yeah, sure,” Gladio says, picking up his current book and waving it. “I’m almost done here, so I should line something up.”

“Great! I’m gonna get washed up and we’ll head out,” Prompto says and jogs up the stairs.

Gladio sits back against the pillows, mulling over what he’d just learned of Prompto’s life. He knew the Argentums had been instrumental in the liberation of Graelea, but he hadn’t realized their role in the Kingsglaive had continued for so long after the disbandment of the Empire. What could they have possibly been working on? Even his position in the Crownsguard wouldn’t afford him the clearance to know. The Kingsglaive answer directly to Regis, Clarus and Cor, and his Junior Shield position would not be privy.

It is a bit frustrating, but he supposes it also might look as though he is spying on his friend’s family if he were to try to dig deeper.

He just has to drop it. And treat Prompto a little better than he had been treated in the past.

“Ready?” Prompto says, only a few minutes later, his hair still wet and unstyled after a quick shower. “I called a water taxi for us.”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

=||==========>

The bookshop is full of extremely old tomes, and Gladio has to limit himself to five books, not only so that he can physically carry them back to the house, but because they are somewhat expensive. Still, he walks out with two historical fiction novels, a biography of some long-dead scientist of the Empire, and an artbook of Tenebraen architecture for Prompto. Also, a trashy romance novel. It is secretly the book he is most excited to read.

They move on to the cafe nearby and order a light lunch, Prompto especially hungry after having avoided breakfast.

“Gladio, I brought you here to do a nice thing for _you_ ,” Prompto says, nevertheless clutching the enormous hardcover against his chest. His hair is soft and slightly wavy, having air dried, and drifts on the mercifully cool breeze.

“Like I could leave the shop without it,” Gladio smiles, patting Prompto on the shoulder as he takes a sip of his iced coffee. “You were practically in tears over the photos.”

“I mean, you have to admit, Tenebrae knows how to design a castle,” Prompto says, earnestly. “The buildings make me wish I was a member of their royal family.”

“Maybe _you_ should marry Lunafreya now that Noct isn’t going to,” Gladio chuckles.

“Lunafreya’s not really my type,” Prompto says. “She’s great to Noct and that’s a major point in her favor, but I doubt she could throw me down and-” Prompto widens his eyes and shuts his mouth. “Sorry, maybe the potion didn’t flush all of the alcohol from my system yet. What the hell am I telling you?”

“I wouldn’t discount Lunafreya’s ability to rough a guy up, to be honest,” Gladio says, smirking. “I’ve seen video of her training regimen and she’s scary. She might even be better than Noct, considering she actually puts in the time and work with regularity.”

“Well, maybe I’ll reconsider if I’m ever single and she suddenly offers to make me a prince,” Prompto grins, and it’s the first time they’ve acknowledged Prompto’s boyfriend since the drunken revelation the night before. Gladio had a bit of a feeling that Prom didn’t want to address it for whatever reason, and frankly, Gladio was trying not to think too hard about it. Especially since his crush seemed to be persisting far more deeply than he had expected.

“So when’s your man coming down to Accordo?” Gladio says, hoping that ignoring his feelings and acting like a friend might make it all come true. Just friends. It’s fine.

“He’s coming in three days,” Prompto answers. “He had a summer commitment to his theater group, but it’s over on the twenty-second.”

“Acting, huh?” Gladio says. “So you like artistic types like yourself.”

“Hah,” Prompto smiles fondly. “He’s more athletic, actually. He’s a dancer. So I guess a bit of both, then?”

“Nice,” Gladio nods. “Dancing is really good for control over your body, supposedly it helps in combat if you’re trained in ballet. Too bad I’m a hopeless case.”

“Maybe you’re just not trying hard enough?” Prompto says with mock disapproval. “That’s always what Cor says when I can’t lift a seventy pound sword over my head during preparatory training. And I’m like, ‘Isn’t that what _Crownsguard_ training is for?’ Turns out you’re supposed to already be good at something before joining.”

“Cor’s just messing with you,” Gladio says, shaking his head with amused disapproval of his boss. “He knows your scrawny arms aren’t gonna lift a greatsword. Have you tried daggers? Or guns?”

“Oh yeah,” Prompto says, sitting up, excited. “I love guns. It’s the one thing I’m more than decent at. They’re def gonna be my focus.”

“Well you have to learn all different types-”

“‘Of combat weapons and hand-to-hand, you can’t rely on one skill.’ You know, Cor says that, too, but I have yet to see him give up his katana for a polearm.”

“He’s actually really great with them,” Gladio says, and Prompto deflates.

“Of course he is,” Prompto sighs. “You don’t get to be ‘The Immortal’ if you suck at weaponry, I guess.”

Gladio laughs, and the server returns to their table with their meals.

“You know,” She says as she places their plates in front of each of them, “I usually wouldn’t say anything but you two are just really cute. You’re so happy and comfortable together!”

Prompto blushes, and Gladio can feel a similar surge of heat in his face. “Oh, we’re not together. Just friends.”

“Oh my gods,” Now _she’s_ blushing. “So sorry, I just assumed- nevermind, I apologize greatly.”

“It’s no problem,” Prompto says, trying to sooth her embarrassment. “It’s great to know that our friendship is noticeably close!”

“Sorry,” She says one last time and bows out, returning inside the building.

Gladio looks at Prompto who is smiling shyly back and they both laugh awkwardly. Or at least, Gladio does.

“I guess I have to quit buying you gifts and taking you out to lunch,” Gladio says, grabbing a chip off of his plate and occupying his mouth with it.

“Nah,” Prompto says, just before taking a big bite out of his bagel sandwich. He doesn’t bother to wait to swallow his food before adding, “I can deal with a nice server complimenting how cute I am with extremely handsome men once in a while.” He blushes a little harder, and Gladio wonders if he meant to be so complimentary.

Rather than address it and add to the awkwardness, he breezes past it.

“Good, ‘cause you’re pretty much the only guy I can count on to hang out with,” Gladio says, digging into his food more seriously. “Noct and Ignis are really wrapped up in it, huh?”

“They’ve only been together for like two months,” Prompto says. “They’re still in the honeymoon phase.”

“Well, _I_ for one am glad that the sound doesn’t seem to carry from their room up the stairs, then,” Gladio laughs.

“You must be a heavy sleeper,” Prompto shakes his head. “I get woken up at least once a night. They’re pretty rowdy. And you’ll never guess which one of them is the louder one.”

“Ugh, no, no,” Gladio waves his hand emphatically. “I don’t want to know, please never tell me.”

“Well, he’s apparently good at cooking with heat even in the bedroom-”

“No, stop!” Gladio says, putting his index fingers in his ears. “I can’t know this.”

“I’m not gonna be the only one,” Prompto says, dramatically. “Not anymore!”

“You’re the worst,” Gladio presses his hands to his face as if he can wipe his slate clean. “I trusted you, man.”

“Aw, poor Big Guy,” Prompto mock pouts. “You’ll get over it. Or not. Either way, now I’m not the only one burdened.”

Gladio grimaces, but he’s got to admit to himself that he’s still charmed by the smug spread of Prompto’s lips.

=||==========>

They’re sitting on the sofa, not noticing the darkening sky outside as they both enjoy the books they picked up, Prompto intermittently showing photos to Gladio as the larger man reads one of his historical fiction books. He’s saving the romance novel for when he’ll surely be spending time alone after Prompto’s boyfriend arrives. He prefers to read them in the privacy of his room, lest he get caught at it. He likes people to think he is discerning with his literature.

To his surprise, this novel is quite romantic, and when he grunts with admiration, Prompto takes notice.

“What’s up?” he asks, looking up from his architecture book. “Is it good?”

“Yeah, actually,” Gladio replies, folding the book over the fingers of one hand to mark his place temporarily. “There’s a really good character dynamic going on already, so it’s really grabbing me. I wasn’t expecting it.”

“Read some to me,” Prompto says, looking back down at his book.

“Should I go back to the beginning?” Gladio asks, shuffling the pages.

“Only if you think it’s necessary,” Prompto settles closer, looking slightly over Gladio’s shoulder.

“Alright,” Gladio says, finding the beginning of the passage that grabbed him. “For context, they’re both soldiers in the King’s army, but they’ve been separated from their squad for a variety of reasons that aren’t super relevant to this part except that Miren is severely injured and Artex is trying to patch her up. They’re trying to decide if they should move on from their tiny encampment.”

“Okay,” Prompto nods, closing his book and resting his head against the back of the sofa.

_“‘The wound bled sluggishly as Artext tried to stop the bleeding with natural means, his potions stock depleted. Miren groaned with the pressure of his fingers against her rent flesh, but he persisted, knowing it would be the thing that saved her life.’”_

“Dramatic already, I likes,” Prompto says, pulling his legs fully onto the couch as he settles.

 _“‘They had few options, and none of them satisfactory. But Artex knew that if he didn’t mend this wound, he would walk away from the life he knew, and would never be the same again.’”_ Gladio shivered, wanting that kind of love for himself.

“Aw, _Gladio_ ,” Prompto says, bumping his head against Gladio’s arm. “You’re a _romantic_.”

“Alright,” Gladio sighs. “You’ve discovered my secret shame. Bring on the ridicule.”

“Nah,” Prompto shakes his head, but remains listed to his side, lounging against the larger man. “Me too. No judgement. Just pleasant surprise.”

“Good,” Gladio shifts, getting more comfortable with Prompto’s weight nestled against him. “Should I keep going?”

“Yeah, for sure,” Prompto smiles up at him and snuggles closer. “Don’t be insulted if I fall asleep though, I’m beat.”

Gladio chuckles. “Alright.”

Prompto is fairly attentive for at least forty minutes, peppering comments in as Gladio reads. Gladio begins to notice the lack of commentary and looks down to find Prompto snoring softly against him, and glances at the clock to find that it is nearing one in the morning. Gently, he peels himself away, shifting a pillow under Prompto’s head. The blond barely moves except to nestle deeper into the pillow, and Gladio casts about the room for a light blanket in case he grows cold during the night. He finds one in the hall closet and drapes it over Prompto’s bare feet, so that he can pull it up if needed.

He’s even more pretty asleep, his fair eyelashes swept across his freckled cheeks, his face peaceful and relaxed, the gentle rise and fall of his shoulders as he breathes contentedly. Gladio wishes for a chance with him more than he’s ever wished for anything before, and it’s a little sad that he knows this one impractical dream will never be his.

The stone stairs offer little comfort as he carries himself up to his empty room and empty bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompto, years later: aw, babe, you had a crush on me? that's so embarrassing


	6. waking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some questions, a bike ride, and a long goodnight.

Gladio sleeps in late the next day, waking roughly at eleven in the morning, far beyond the hour he normally would. It makes him feel a bit drunk, his head fuzzy and disconnected from his basic motor functions, and he wonders if he will feel strange all afternoon until he makes his way downstairs and Ignis offers him a cold-brewed coffee.

“Ignis, you’re a godsend,” Gladio says after taking a long pull from the cup. “I’m surprised you guys are still here, it feels like it’s been three days since I saw you last.”

“We planned to do a bit of casual biking today,” Ignis replies, “The last few days have been wonderful, but I believe Noctis is due for a bit of rest and relaxation. We’ve been going non-stop since we arrived.”

“So I hear,” Gladio says, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips as he tries to hide it behind his glass.

“Ha, ha, Gladio,” Noctis says as he joins them in the kitchen. “We’re gonna check out the town we passed on the way here from Altissia, wanna tag along? Prom’s coming, too.”

“Yeah, for sure,” Gladio says, draining the last of the beverage and indicating he would like more to Ignis, who holds the pitcher. “Where’s Blondie at?”

“I think he’s out on the dock talking to Certus,” Noct says, pointing with his thumb over his shoulder to the front of the house. “He’s nervous for his performance tonight, so Prom’s gotta pep-talk him.”

“Are you guys close with him?” Gladio asks, just a bit jealous of losing his lifelong friends to this guy, too.

“He’s _very_ cool,” Noct says, nodding vigorously. “He’s been GMing our Friday night D&tD sessions, dude’s got a lot of imagination.”

“He’s also quite thoughtful and kind,” Ignis adds. “And he absolutely adores Prompto, so I have no complaints. And yes, Gladio, his background check is totally clean.”

“How long have they been together?” Gladio should just shut up, or just ask Prompto, but he feels like he will die if he watches the blond speak fondly of his partner.

“I think like, six, seven months or so?” Noctis says, his face contorted with thought. “I think it was right after Beloved’s Day? I remember the heart decorations were still up but the holiday had already passed. They were both too chocoboshit to do anything on the actual day.” Noctis laughs at the memory.

“That’s a long time for a high school relationship,” Gladio commented, staring down into his second coffee.

“Yeah, if you’re _you_ ,” Noctis snorts. “Honestly, you changed partners more than shirts in high school.”

“Just couldn’t find anyone who could handle all this, buddy,” Gladio boasts. He’s not about to admit that it was always him that gave up first. Not from a conquest standpoint, of course, but from a lack of chemistry. Or an overabundance of anxiety.

“Certus is certainly someone to hang on to,” Ignis says, which is high praise. “I wish him and Prompto luck in maintaining their courtship.”

_Well, shit,_ Gladio thinks, equal parts happy that Prompto is being treated well, and frustrated that he will have to like and respect the guy. _As long as Prompto is happy, I can get past this._

=||==========>

The town that Ignis and Noctis spoke of is, in fact, the small cobblestone lined village that Gladio and Prompto had traveled to for the bookshop and cafe. There is a bike rental stand at the docks, and Prompto laughs with delight at the idea of a tandem, but Noctis refuses to share. They rent four sturdy-looking rides and take off through the serpentine alleys that make up the roads on the small island. 

Gladio and Prompto easily climb the gentle slopes, strong legs shifting the pedals as they ascend, turning it into a bit of competition between them as Ignis and Noctis take it easy. The cobblestone jiggles them as they then coast down the declinations.

It is during one such decline that Prompto’s bike seizes, the front wheel breaking free and throwing him from the bike and to the ground head-first. He catches himself before his face hits the ground, and Gladio immediately jumps off his bike, carelessly tossing it to the ground as he rushes to check Prompto’s injuries.

“Prompto!”

“Ow, fuck,” Prompto hisses, rolling onto his side and sitting up, inspecting his own palms, scraped bloody. His knees and left shin aren’t much better.

“Prom, you okay?” Gladio kneels next to him, a hand on his back.

“Not okay, no,” Prompto says, honestly, a bit of an ironic chuckle in his voice. “But at least this isn’t my _face_.” He holds his bleeding palms up for Gladio’s inspection.

“Damn,” Gladio says, “We gotta get you cleaned up. Can you stand?”

“Might need some help getting up, but probably,” Prompto answers. Gladio rises, pulling Prompto forward by his elbows, and they get him up just as Ignis and Noctis catch up.

“What the hell?” Noct exclaims, dumping his bike in much the same way Gladio had and putting a worried hand on Prompto’s shoulder.

“I’m gonna take him back to the main square,” Gladio says, holding Prom steady, even though he is perfectly fine to stand on his own. “There’s got to be an item shop down there with potions. Can you guys try to grab his bike and the wheel? Make sure you rip that guy a new one for renting out shitty equipment.”

“We’ll take care of it,” Ignis answers, retrieving the frame of the busted bike. “Get him mended, please.”

“Will do,” Gladio nods. “Prom, I’m gonna get on my bike and I’ll pick you up and set you on the handlebars. Do you wanna sit forward or facing me?”

“Uh, I’d really like to be able to see where we’re going,” Prompto huffs a nervous laugh.

“Ok,” Gladio picks his bike up and mounts it, gesturing Prompto to straddle the frame as well. “I’ll pick you up and we’ll spin you around. Just lean into me and wrap your arms around mine, so you don’t have to hang on with your busted hands.”

“Ah!” Prompto squawks, and Gladio manhandles him into position before pushing off and pedaling away.

“Meet you at the boat!” Gladio calls back to Noct and Ignis.

They’re dashing past the homes along the incline and despite the bleeding, Prompto is laughing, his blond hair tickling Gladio’s face as it whips around, Prompto snug against his chest. Their faces are close together as Gladio leans forward to be able to see ahead of them, head craning over Prompto’s shoulder as they ride. Prompto’s arms wrap around Gladio’s, bent at the elbows, and they’re flying, fast and sweeping, back to the start of their journey.

They’re back in the rounded town center, and Gladio screeches to a halt, deposits Prompto on the edge of the enormous fountain in the center of the roundabout, leans the bike on its kickstand and ducks into the general store to seek out a potion or two. When used topically, potions can be applied a bit more liberally than when ingested. It makes no sense to Gladio, but there is a reason he has not applied to Medical School.

Gladio returns to Prompto in minutes, using a bit of bottled water to clear the wound, making sure there is no debris under his ripped skin, and then applies a few swipes of potion on a soft piece of gauze. Prompto’s palms are a bit more chewed up, and so he coats two pieces of gauze with the second potion’s contents and tapes them to his wounds.

“You’re really good at that,” Prompto says, watching as Gladio works diligently and carefully.

“It’s not brain surgery,” Gladio laughs, focusing on his work. The shin scrape is almost as rough as his palms, and Gladio wonders if he should go back in and grab some of the butterfly bandages he saw on the shelf next to the gauze. Luckily, after a moment of careful application, the third potion begins to stitch the skin back together.

There are fingers in his hair, pushing back the strands from his eyes as he bends over Prompto’s leg, and Gladio is forced to blink up at the affectionate smile gracing Prompto’s sweet face.

“Thanks,” He says, and Gladio’s heart flutters.

“Of course,” Gladio answers, returning to the last of his work on the long shin gash. “How are your palms doing?” The bandages had been on for a few minutes while he worked on Prompto’s leg, and with how fast the wound was closing, he hoped the worst of Prom’s injuries were following suit.

“Much better,” Prompto responds, pressing the gauze back against them for a bit more time. “Man, I really know how to ruin a good time, don’t I?”

“What do you mean?” Gladio scoffs. “This was an accident. If anything, that bike rental guy’s got some answering to do.”

“Well,” Prompto begins, laughing awkwardly. “First I totally cockblock you at the club, and now you’re cutting your nice day short because I can’t pick a functioning bike.”

“You’re seriously going to blame _yourself_ for this situation?” Gladio looks at him with a disbelieving draw of his eyebrows.

“Well,” Prompto sighs, “There is a common thread in both of these situations, and it’s me. Gladio’s fun plus Prompto equals bummer.”

“First of all,” Gladio says, standing, now that he’s finished patching up Prompto’s knees, and pulls the shorter man to stand with him, “I wouldn’t be having _any_ fun if you weren’t here, especially with the lovebirds taking off on their own so much. And second, shut up.”

Prompto barks a laugh. “Fair enough, I guess. How could I argue with such well thought out arguments?”

Gladio throws an arm over Prom’s shoulders and grabs the handlebars of his bike, the bag of remaining first aid supplies nestled in the side pouch. They make their way back to the docks, returning the final bike with another gripe to the proprietor from Gladio.

Ignis suggests picking up some take out before leaving the island, and they bring the food home to relax for the remainder of the evening in the quiet villa.

=||==========>

“Gladio!” Prompto’s shout startles him out of the immersion of his book, and he sits up, blinking with surprise.

“What?”

“I can’t believe you’d go on reading that without me,” Prompto points at the book that Gladio had begun reading aloud to Prompto the night before. “Go back, and scoot over.”

“Yes, master,” Gladio scoffs, but does as asked. “But if I’m gonna have to rehash what I’ve already read, you’re gonna be the one reading aloud.”

“I’m cool with that,” Prompto says, grabbing the book from Gladio’s hands as he plops down onto the sofa, draping his lean legs across Gladio’s lap. “Alright, last I remember we just saw Miren getting violently ill on the path to the hidden tomb. Which, yuck.”

“Hahaha, oh boy,” Gladio sighs, reveling in knowing more about the story than Prompto.

“What?” Prompto asks, an accusatory glare in his sharp, violet-blue eyes.

“Just get to reading, Blondie,” Gladio shakes his head with a smile as he settles in, relaxing against the cushions.

Prompto skims the pages for the passage he remembers hearing, and balks suddenly.

“MIREN’S PREGNANT?!” Prompto crows, almost tearing the book in half. Gladio cracks up.

“Now you owe me that twenty crown,” Gladio says, smugly. “I told you she and Artex weren’t just siblings-in-arms.”

“Damn it,” Prompto sighs. “She just seems like he annoys her most of the time.”

“I’ve definitely been inexplicably attracted to people that have annoyed me,” Gladio says, crossing his arms comfortably over his chest as he shifts into a lying position next to Prompto. “I can’t believe you didn’t see the signals. She’s always so protective of him!”

“That’s ‘cause he’s an idiot,” Prompto argues. “Whatever. Let them have their stupid dumb baby together and live happily ever after. Thppp.”

“I thought you were a romantic?” Gladio chuckles.

“I prefer friends-to-lovers,” Prompto says, haughtily.

“I can’t believe you don’t think that’s what this is,” Gladio says, shaking his head as best he can against the cushions. “Sad. Get to reading.”

Prompto reads aloud for about a half an hour before Gladio starts to doze. They had a long, fun day, despite the injuries, and his eyelids begin to weigh heavily, Prompto’s gentle voice the perfect backdrop for him to slip into sleep.

The next thing he is aware of is a soft brush across his face, a tickling sensation that sweeps quickly across his mouth, and he blinks slowly to consciousness to find Prompto extracting himself out from under Gladio’s arm.

“Oh,” Prompto whispers, an apologetic look on his face. “Sorry, I was trying not to wake you. It’s late.”

“Mmm,” Gladio mutters, pushing himself up and into a sitting position, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you.”

“I guess it’s only fair, since I did it to you last night,” Prompto smiles. “I’m heading to bed tonight, though. The couch is great for a nap, but it gave me a crick in my neck sleeping there the whole night.”

“Yeah, I’m a bit too big to really sleep on this thing. I move around a lot in bed, so I’d never be comfortable on this couch for a whole night.” Gladio yawns deeply as he tries to get his limbs to cooperate with standing.

“Shall I walk you to your room, sir?” Prompto bows, putting on a silly voice.

“Such a gentleman,” Gladio breathes a laugh.

They walk upstairs, Prompto ushering Gladio up the steps, until they arrive at their doors, directly at the top of the stairs.

“Well, thank you for a lovely evening,” Gladio jokes, leaning on his door frame. “Will you call me tomorrow? Or are you one of _those_ guys that are too macho to be available?”

“I’m not like other guys,” Prompto plays along, crossing his arms and standing as tall as he can. “I’m a bad boy with a heart of gold.”

Gladio laughs, and his chest is squeezing with the fondness that fills him up. Prompto is beautiful, kind, and just genuinely fun to be around, and Gladio wishes that there was some way to convey that without also confessing the ache that lives inside him.

“Well, goodnight, then,” Gladio says, softly smiling, yearning for another reality where he can act.

“G’night, Gladio,” Prompto returns, his voice a gentle whisper.

Neither one of them moves at first, but Gladio knows that the situation is growing a bit more intimate than it probably should, considering Prompto’s partner will be arriving in less than forty-eight hours.

With a departing nod, Gladio backs away and opens his door, slipping into his room with a deep exhalation.

His heart is beating hard, as if he’s run a marathon, and all he can see behind his tightly closed eyes is Prompto’s gentle smile, his pretty eyes. Everything about this situation is absolute torture.

He’s hard. Pulsing. He presses a hand to the bulge and sucks in a breath through his teeth at the contact. He needs to breathe, to calm himself, to strip down and fall asleep, ignoring the impulses of his traitorous body.

He disrobes and sits heavily onto his bed, a twin shoved against their shared wall, and he knows that on the other side is Prompto’s bed, too. There’s barely two feet between them, but it feels like an ocean.

Then he hears it, the squeaking of springs and the choked moans, and Gladio knows that Prompto is in the same state he is.

Gladio is only a man, only human, and he reaches into the front flap of his underwear to pull himself out, his warm palm a close enough proxy to what he really wants. He leans back against the wall, stroking himself with sure, rough hands until he’s panting and groaning, too, the sound of his own bed shifting obscenely as he shakes with tightly wound arousal.

A harsh, high cry, muffled by the distance between them, hits Gladio’s ears and sends a signal down to his cock, and then he’s coming, too. He imagines the face Prompto is making, and the thick ropes of spend keep pouring out of him, until he’s wrung out and gasping for breath, sweating and suddenly deeply ashamed.

From the hall, he hears a door open, and with a hammering heart he waits to see if Prompto will throw open his own. The door across the hall opens, instead, and he can hear the faucet of the sink running in the bathroom. He sits there for a few moments with his softened member and the mess of his come in his hand, listening intently for the sounds of Prompto’s movements. Finally there are footsteps that return to Prompto’s room, the door closing quietly behind him.

Gladio exhales again, before picking himself gingerly off the bed and sneaking into the bathroom to clean himself off before finally going to bed.

There’s a guilt festering in his gut, and he knows it will only grow deeper the longer he stews in it, but he also knows that despite how sleepy he was only ten minutes ago, he’s going to be awake all night, and the next day is going to be very, very rough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ha, ha, whoops. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
> 
> does it still count as mutual masturbation if it's through a wall?


	7. burning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A swimming trip, a vista, and a little too much sun.

Gladio knows that last night they crossed a line. Maybe they haven’t touched each other, and maybe they haven’t kissed, and maybe they haven’t even acknowledged an attraction beyond the playful banter before they went to bed last night, but they definitely are aware that the both of them touched _themselves_ because of the unspoken thing happening between them.

Gladio hesitates to call it cheating, but it probably is. And it makes him feel terrible. It’s a nauseating squirm in his guts. He could have ignored the sounds he heard, and gone into the bathroom, taken a cold shower, and maybe beat off by himself if he couldn’t ignore his body’s response, but he didn’t. He _let_ Prompto hear him. Let himself hear _Prompto_. He even had a spark of hope that Prompto would come into his room.

He isn’t sure how to approach the day, so he lays in bed, wide awake at seven in the morning, and feels guilty.

Ignis’s voice calls up the stairs at around nine-thirty, and he has no choice but to respond.

“Be down in a minute,” He shouts, pulling a pair of cargo shorts out of his dresser and sliding them over his legs. He picks a shirt that is a bit worn, something he would never wear in public; he does not want to put any effort into his appearance today. Pushes the length of his hair around until it is out of his face, feeling the shaved portion of his hair that has grown out significantly in the past week.

He feels like his outward appearance probably matches his inner disgust.

The three of his friends are busy in the kitchen, gathering food and drinks and depositing them into four separate backpacks.

“What’s up, guys?” Gladio says, studiously avoiding Prompto’s eyes.

“We’re all going for a swim in that watering hole you and Prompto found the other day,” Ignis supplies, shoving several bagged sandwiches into his green bag. “Go and collect whatever you’d like to bring along, and be back down here to leave in five minutes.”

“Uh,” Gladio hesitates, thinking maybe it would be best if he avoided the group hang for the day.

“It’s mandatory,” Prompto says, his voice casual and chipper. “Iggy’s not taking ‘no’ for an answer, Big Guy.”

Gladio nods, and Prompto looks away, a definite discomfort in the line between his eyebrows.

_This sucks,_ Gladio sighs. “Alright, I’ll be back in a sec.”

He grabs his other books, intending to have as little interaction possible if he’s being forced to come along. He throws on his swim trunks, then grabs his spray bottle of sunscreen and an extra pair of shorts and a shirt, forcing them all into a small mesh bag with his towel and returns downstairs.

“Here,” Noctis says, passing him a backpack that seems to be full of drinks, given how heavy it is.

“So I get to play pack mule, huh?” Gladio complains. “Why didn’t you just divvy up the drinks into _all_ of the packs?” He grunts as he slings the bag over his shoulders, clipping his bag of personal items to one of the buckles on the backpack.

Noctis shrugs. “Didn’t think of it. Besides, what’s the point of having those muscles if you don’t ever use them?”

“Fine,” Gladio rolls his eyes, and the others file out through the patio doors, making their way over the sand with some difficulty under the weight of their gear.

It takes slightly less time to get there than it did the day they found the place, since they’re making a beeline to it this time, but Gladio is twice as sweaty today than he was on the day of the discovery. The sun is baking them, and the gear is heavier than it should be, the sand unforgiving.

Finally, ten minutes after they’ve left the house, they arrive at the shaded oasis.

Gladio dumps his packs and takes a running leap into the water, not giving any care to Ignis’s gripe that they should be unpacking first.

The water is absolutely _frigid_ , and Gladio breaks the surface with a screech.

“Fuck!” He shouts, shaking the wet hair out of his face. “It’s cold, guys.”

“Great,” Says Noctis, who is positively dripping with sweat as he wears all black in the hottest time of the summer. “Ignis, sorry, babe, but I gotta get in there.”

“That’s what _he_ said!” Prompto shouts as Noctis mimics Gladio’s rush to the water.

Ignis seems to give up on proper procedure and strips down to his shorts and joins them, his pace more dignified but no less hurried.

Gladio watches as Prompto decides he’s going to go for broke and begins to ascend the bluff again. Noctis and Ignis express their concern but Gladio assures them he’s done it before.

The wave that hits them when he canonballs in is impressive, and once the four of them are in the water, everything is utter chaos. Dunkings, wrestling, and an attempt at chicken on the sharp drop-off edge. Noctis and Prompto are no match for Gladio and Ignis, and finally Noctis pouts and demands to climb onto Gladio’s shoulders. Ignis and Prompto trounce them.

“Well, we know who the weak link is, Noct,” Gladio laughs as his prince surfaces after falling off.

“Shut up, Gladio,” Noct jumps at him, taking him under.

=||==========>

After they eat the lunch Ignis packed, a lot later in the day than they planned, the adviser insists they break from swimming for at least half an hour. Gladio lays his towel down on the grassy edge of the water and shoves his bag of extra clothes under his head to read his book quietly. Ignis and Noct lay under a tree in the shade.

Prompto brings his towel over to where Gladio is laying, casting a shadow over Gladio’s face.

“You better not be reading what I think you are,” Prompto accuses him.

“Nah,” Gladio answers, uncomfortably. “It’s the other one I got.”

“This spot taken?” Prompto asks, already laying out his towel.

“Go ahead,” Gladio says, although what he really means is, _Ughhhh this is going to be **awkward**._

“So what’s this one about?” Prompto asks, his fingers threaded together over his chest.

“Not really sure, yet, I only just started it,” Gladio answers. He has absolutely no idea how to carry on a conversation with Prompto anymore. There doesn’t seem to be a safe topic, now. Their easy camaraderie is gone.

“I’m bored, Gladio,” Prompto confesses, and Gladio puts his book down and turns his head toward the shorter man.

“What do you want me to do about it?” Gladio says, a little exasperated.

“Let’s explore a little more,” Prompto says, throwing his hands into the air. “There’s gotta be something else cool here. You know, there’s always treasure behind waterfalls. We didn’t think of checking last time.”

Gladio laughs nervously, shaking his head. “Why don’t you go bother the lovebirds with this?”

“Uh, no way,” Prompto sits up a little to look in their direction. “First of all, they’re making out. And second of all, I’d never abandon my exploration buddy. My loyalty isn’t that easily broken.”

“Hmm,” Gladio answers, and feels Prompto fidget.

Gladio suspects that Prompto is trying to force things to feel normal again, and while Gladio wants it to be true, he’s still feeling supremely guilty, especially after Prompto’s declaration of loyalty.

“C’mon, man,” Prompto whines. “I’m gonna die here if I have to lay quietly for another twenty-five minutes.”

“Fine, fine,” Gladio says, dropping his book to the sand and rolling onto his knees to lift himself. “But if we don’t find anything back there, I get to come lay down and read my book, deal?”

Prompto traces an X over his chest. “Promise.”

They skirt the pool of water, on the opposite bank from their hormonally-charged friends, and approach the rocky outcropping that Prompto uses to climb up to the mouth of the falls. There’s a small ledge, its width about half the length of Gladio’s foot, that leads back behind the roaring water. Prompto goes first, shuffling along the edge and shrieking a little when the water cascades over his shoulders. Gladio laughs until it happens to him, too, but luckily once they’re behind the veil of water, the path widens and they do, in fact, find a darkened split in the rock face that suggests a cave beyond.

“I was right!” Prompto cackles. “I hope it’s not super dark in there, the opening is so small.”

“I’m not even sure I can fit in there,” Gladio says as they approach.

“That’s what _he-_ ” Gladio clamps a hand down onto Prompto’s mouth.

“You go first,” Gladio tells him, pushing him forward.

“What if there are snakes?” Prompto shivers. “You go.”

“You’re the one that wanted to come back here,” Gladio sighs, but turns so that he can shuffle through sideways. He _just_ fits between the rocks, but luckily the path opens up about ten feet in, and there’s another light source from above them.

“Cool,” Prompto says, ducking under Gladio’s outstretched arm as he slips out of the passage and into the main cavern.

There’s another pool of water in here, and tons of stalactites that drip water onto its constantly rippling surface. A dry ledge leads to a winding path that climbs up from where they stand, toward the outside again. The route seems relatively gentle, so, with a mutual look, they agree to keep going.

They travel in silence up the rocky path, climbing over a few sharp “steps”, one high enough that Gladio has to lift Prompto up by folding his hands together and launching him.

The cave opens out to the other side of the bluffs, a gorgeous view of the empty ocean beyond, this side pointing directly away from the entire archipelago. They look to their right and find a worn dirt path that continues up and around the highest peak, so they follow it.

“Maybe we _should_ have brought Noct and Ignis along,” Prompto says, a little breathless. “It’s so pretty.”

Gladio doesn’t really respond, doesn’t know what to say to that other than an agreement.

“Hey, so,” Prompto starts, then hesitates. “Uh, I was hoping you’d do me a favor?”

“What’s that?” Gladio replies, focusing on the path ahead.

“Well, I really like the book we started reading together,” Prompto says, tripping a bit but catching himself. “Oof. Anyway, can you maybe not finish it without me? I really had fun reading it aloud, but tomorrow Certus is going to be here-”

“I’ll just let you borrow it,” Gladio says, shrugging, bailing out of the conversation. “I’m gonna be moving on to Tenebrae after I get some time off in Insomnia, so I’m not gonna be around much longer.”

“Oh,” Prompto says, and Gladio hates acting like he doesn’t care, because he really does, he wants to finish reading the book with Prompto and talking about it with him, but it’s just not going to happen, and it all sucks _so much_.

“I’ll try to finish it in the next couple days, then give it to you,” Gladio offers, and as he says it, they round the edge of the peak and they’re looking back in the direction they came, and the whole of Accordo stretches in front of them, the splatters of islands dotting the blue-green water with white sand and lush, green trees. The various small houses and towns that wrap themselves around the natural beauty are gorgeous from this vantage point. Altissia is a bit too far for them to see, but it’s an amazing view nonetheless.

“Damn,” Prompto says, and he fishes his phone out of his trunks, wrapped in a waterproof baggie. He snaps a ton of pictures while Gladio just stares at the expanse. A storm is brewing off to the south, and the curtain of rain that passes over the islands is a wonder to behold.

Gladio looks over the edge and sees the curve of the swimming hole below them, the small figures of Ignis and Noctis milling around the edge are kind of adorable from so far above.

“Think they can hear us from up here?” Gladio says, nudging Prompto and pointing down to them.

“Let’s see,” Prom answers, then screams, “IGNIS! NOCT!!! HEYYYYYYYYY!”

Two tiny heads turn every which way except up, so Gladio shouts, “UP HERE! LIKE, WAY UP!”

Finally, they wave, and shout something back, but sound doesn’t carry as well from below, apparently, because Gladio can’t make it out.

Gladio does notice, however, that the light is fading, and there’s at least a twenty minute hike back down that could become considerably darker if they don’t hurry.

“Yo,” Gladio says, making his way back down the path, “We gotta go. I’m not trying to find my way back through that cave in the darkness.”

“Yikes, yeah, let’s go,” Prompto nods, bagging up his phone and putting it back in his pocket.

=||==========>

They all share a late dinner, and it’s even more awkward, Gladio just itching to shut himself away in his room, and rarely involving himself in the chatter. Prompto asks him a few questions or tries to include him, but he gives short answers and doesn’t offer any topics himself.

Ignis and Noct seem to sense a shift in the mood and fall silent as they finish up their plates.

“Gladio,” Ignis says, all of a sudden. “Since you excused yourself from helping prepare the meal, I believe it is only right that you tidy up after.”

“Sure,” Gladio nods, thankful that he’ll have an excuse to be apart from them for a bit before he sneaks off to his room.

“I’ll give you a hand,” Prompto offers, and Gladio almost objects, until Noctis comments on Prompto’s kindness.

Gladio gathers the plates and carries them to the sink, filling it with soapy warm water. Prompto brings all of their cups and utensils, and sets himself up to dry the clean dishes. He fidgets, and a creeping anxiety climbs up Gladio’s stomach.

Once Ignis and Noctis have left the room, Prompto turns to Gladio, and he braces for the inevitable fallout.

“Hey,” Prompto says, quietly. “Uh, I gotta say something.”

“You really don’t,” Gladio insists, scrubbing one of the pans a little harshly.

“I probably do,” Prompto pushes, and leans against the counter as he waits for a clean item to dry. “I, uh,” He swallows audibly. “Last night I was really pent up, ya know.”

“I’m familiar with the concept, yes,” Gladio responds, growing more and more itchy under his skin as the discomfort settles deep inside him.

“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” Prompto says, and Gladio blinks, then turns to stare at the blond. “I should have like, gone and taken a shower or something, instead of being so loud.”

_What exactly does he think is the problem between us?_ Gladio thinks, completely confused. “Uh, I wasn’t? Uncomfortable, I mean?”

“It’s just, you’ve been kind of avoiding me all day? And then you didn’t want to talk throughout dinner, so I thought maybe you were pissed because you could hear me jerking off-”

Gladio holds a dripping hand up to cut Prompto off. “I mean, I heard you, but I wasn’t _uncomfortable_ about it, I-” _And just how are we going to end this sentence, Gladio? He didn’t hear you getting off, too, presumably because he was pretty distracted by his own orgasm. And now you’re the creep that got off on listening to him._

Prompto is staring at him expectantly, waiting for him to finish his thought.

“I mean, you’re entitled to do that,” Gladio says, lamely. “It’s fine.”

“Then did I do something else wrong?” Prompto asks, and it’s his turn to be utterly confused. “If I did, I’m sorry-”

“No, Prom,” Gladio says, firmly. “I’m just in a bad mood today, it’s not you.” And it really isn’t. It’s all Gladio’s problem, and he is the biggest ass in the world. 

“Okay,” Prompto says, sighing with relief. “Good, I was so- I thought I fucked this up. I really love spending time with you, Gladio.” Prompto’s sincerity cuts Gladio straight to the bone, and he feels like his guts are spilling out.

“Me, too, Prom,” Gladio says, desperate to tell him exactly how much he loves it.

“So can we maybe read a little tonight before bed?” Prompto asks, his galaxy-colored eyes begging. “Once Certus is here, he’ll probably monopolize my time, and he’s not much of a reader-”

“Sure,” Gladio answers, unable to withstand any mention of the boy that holds Prompto’s heart. “For a bit.”

“Great!” Prompto chirps, and they set to work on the dishes.

Gladio wants to crawl into a hole and reevaluate his life choices, but spending a little more time with Prompto before his time is occupied sounds much more appealing.

=||==========>

Gladio has spent the better part of the evening trying not to look at Prompto, but now that they are finished with the dishes, and moving out into the living area to pick up where they left off in the narrative, Gladio can see the red blush across his shoulders from underneath his sleeveless tee.

“Prom,” Gladio says, almost reaching out to shift his shirt aside, but stopping himself at the last moment. “Looks like you got burned, buddy.”

“Ugh,” Prompto groans, “I knew it felt a little hot in here. I just assumed it was the usual weather. This always happens.”

“You used sunscreen, right?”

“SPF 100,” Prompto nods. “I have the skin of a ghost vampire.”

Gladio couldn’t relate. He was usually a bit bronzed by the sun, but the summer in Accordo had left him darker than usual. 

“I think I saw some aloe upstairs in the bathroom,” He says, making his way to the stairs. “I’ll be right back.”

He returns with a bottle of lime green liquid with bubbles all throughout and hands it to Prompto, setting their book on the coffee table.

“You’re gonna give me a hand, right?” Prompto asks, and what kind of fresh hell is this torture?

“Sure,” Gladio says, taking the bottle back. Mercifully, he doesn’t have to utter the words “take off your shirt”, because Prompto is already doing it.

The burn is pretty nasty, spreading over his shoulders and halfway down his back, with a soft spot of red right above his tailbone where his spine sticks out just a bit. Gladio squirts a decent handful of the gel into his hand and pauses just above Prompto’s skin to give him warning.

“It’s gonna be cold.”

Prompto nods, silent and relaxed, his chin tilted forward to give Gladio access to all of the areas that could possibly be burnt.

Gladio smooths the gel across the reddest part, the tops of his shoulders and across his spine, some of the green sticky fluid grazing the tufts of hair at the nape of his neck. Prompto’s sigh of relief is a lightning bolt to his lower belly, and why is he letting himself get in this kind of situation again? Gladio is slowly convincing himself that he is truly mad.

It doesn’t stop his hand, of course, as it continues to spread the gel around the burn. He adds more of the green to his palm and caresses down, coating every part of the redness and watching as it is soaked into his damaged skin.

“You gotta apply sunscreen more frequently,” Gladio suggests, his voice low and rough.

“Yeah, I know,” Prompto replies, just as husky. “Thanks for helping.”

“Mm,” Gladio says, lacking the grace to form a real response. He applies a stripe of aloe quickly to the space just above Prompto’s backside, the blond jumping a bit at the unexpected contact. “Sorry, there’s a spot there.”

“Okay,” Prompto breathes, and Gladio has to swallow.

“You’re all good,” Gladio coughs a little, trying to clear the rasp from his voice.

“Oh,” Prompto sounds a little disappointed. Then he looks back at Gladio over his shoulder, awkwardly. “Um, you know, actually, I’m a little tired. Maybe I _will_ just borrow the book from you later.”

Gladio’s heart sinks just a bit, but he nods.

“Unless,” Prompto says, and pauses. “You could come up to my room and read it?”

Gladio’s blood instantly rushes south, and he has to school his breathing. “Uh, I dunno, Prom. I’m kinda- kinda beat, too. It was a long day, and now that I’m sitting down, I’m feeling pretty… tired.”

“Yeah, of course,” Prompto says, and he grabs his discarded shirt, holding it in front of him as he makes his way to the stairs. “Good night.”

“‘Night,” Gladio replies, throat going dry as he catches a glimpse of the straining front of Prompto’s shorts behind his draped tee as the blond rushes up the stairs.

_Was he… inviting me to go up with him for…?_ Gladio shakes his head. _No, right? His boyfriend is going to be here tomorrow. It had to just be a physical response to the touching._

Gladio’s own length throbs, now spurred on by the visual of Prompto’s arousal. He’s going to have to hang out down here on the sofa for a bit in case Prompto needs to relieve himself again.

_Let’s just avoid more awkwardness for now,_ Gladio thinks, determinedly ignoring the insistent pulse of his passion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh hohoho, those wacky misunderstandings. ∠( ᐛ 」∠)_


	8. changing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A run, an introduction, and a storm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get ready to meet Prompto's partner, Certus. He's pretty prominent in this chapter, but I will make sure to keep the focus on the main four. I just needed to set him up a bit. <3 Bear with me!

Gladio wakes up to Prompto bustling around in his room at nine in the morning, which is fine, except that he knows Prom is tidying up for when his partner will arrive later this afternoon. Gladio is equal parts nervous and melancholy about the added member to their group, knowing that now his time with Prompto is over and he will be spending the last few days of his vacation either being the uncomfortably large fifth wheel between the two couples, or just totally isolated. 

The fact that he was dreading this entire endeavor only two weeks ago is not lost on him, and though he now has the potential free time to himself that he had wished for, he’s not happy about it.

Rather than lay around and wallow, Gladio gets out of bed and throws on some running shorts, pulls his ever-lengthening hair into a small ponytail and makes his way downstairs to put on his shoes. Noct and Ignis don’t seem to be around in the kitchen or living area, and so Gladio grabs a water from the fridge and takes off on a run all by himself.

The weather is a bit cooler than the past few days, and Gladio can see why; there is a grey storm brewing from the southeast. He’s a little glad he got up when he did, so that he isn't cooped up in the house for the entire day. He hopes to get an entire lap around the island before it begins to downpour.

He makes it back in plenty of time, but when he arrives back at the house, the others are gathered on the dock as a water taxi pulls up.

_Great,_ Gladio thinks, exhaling forcefully as he slows his pace. _Maybe I can sneak into the house and up to the shower before the others notice me. I don’t exactly want to make my first impression on this guy drenched in my own sweat._

Instead of making his way around the front of the house, Gladio slips behind the landscaping and through the verandah. Blessedly, he gets up the stairs and into the bathroom just as he hears the front door swing open and a cacophony of voices drifting from the first floor.

If he takes a longer shower than usual, it’s only because he feels particularly grimy, and he avoids thinking about whether it’s internal grime or external. There is definitely guilt swimming around in his guts, but he’s not really ready to examine it, he’s just aware it is there, and he will have to face the person he’s potentially wronged with a smiling and friendly face when he feels like rotting inside. It’s a little overwhelming.

Gladio wipes the steam from the mirror and stares at the dripping strands of his hair, wondering if he should try to cut it himself, when there is a knock at the door.

“Gladio,” It’s Ignis, his voice conveying slight impatience. “Certus has arrived, and we’re all trying to decide what to do for lunch. It would be helpful if you’d come down and introduce yourself so that we can plan.”

“I’ll be right there, Iggy,” Gladio says, dismissing the idea of trimming his hair and rubbing a towel through it to dry the mess a bit more.

“Wonderful,” Ignis replies, and his footsteps descend the stairs.

Gladio also neglects to trim his beard, letting some of the stubble of his cheeks and upper lip grow. He’ll clean it up for Noctis’s official party, but until then he decides to let it be a bit more wild.

After choosing a rather plain but reasonably tidy outfit, he makes his way downstairs to face the music, somewhat.

Certus is not what Gladio was picturing. When Prompto mentioned that Certus was athletic, he was picturing some of the larger men he’s seen in ballet, barrel chested and clearly made for lifting women into the air as if they weigh nothing at all. Someone built like himself, really. It was definitely narcissistic to imagine that Prompto’s type matched Gladio’s looks, but he couldn’t help but hope.

Certus is just slightly shorter than Prompto, and his build is nearly identical to the blond’s, though more slight and smooth rather than having defined musculature. His skin is bronzed and dotted here and there with moles. His face is slim and very pretty. His most striking features are his pale blond hair (much closer to white than Prompto’s yellow-blond) and his brilliant amber eyes. His hair is shoulder-length, but cut into choppy layers and the tips are dyed teal. He wears it styled very loose and floppy, and there is a pleasant wave to the texture that gives it a lot of volume. His eyes are almost gold, rather than honey-colored, and they seem to catch the light in interesting ways, almost like a cat’s eyes. 

Certus is dressed almost exactly like Prompto has been; tight leggings for pants with oversized tee hanging off one shoulder, tied tight at his waist and displaying a tight tank top underneath. He also has several piercings in each ear, though Prompto has yet to adopt that bit of aesthetic. Which one of the two boys influenced the other is yet to be determined.

“Gladio!” Certus says, as if they are old friends, holding out his hand. His voice is melodic, and Gladio briefly wonders if he’s a singer as well as a dancer. “Prompto has told me so much about you. Says you’ve been keeping him company while these two ditch him every day, ha, ha.”

“Yeah,” Gladio grips his offered hand, his digits are small but slightly calloused. “Against all odds, we’ve been having a good time, even with these two in honeymoon mode.”

“Shut up, Gladio,” Noctis grumbles, and Ignis grabs his prince by the waist, pulling him close and silencing any further protest.

“I’m afraid we won’t be much better, sorry,” Certus laughs, throwing his arms around Prompto’s shoulders, pressing their cheeks together. “It’s been a long week and a half without him.”

They kiss, and the mirror of Gladio’s heart is in jagged pieces. He smiles through it, but he knows that it’s shaky at best.

“Well, I’ll try not to get in your way,” Gladio says to the four of them. “I’m actually probably going to spend a bit of time working out, I’ve been pretty lax for the past few months with all my book learning and shadowing various governmental officials.”

“Ugh, it’s so hard to get back into good habits if you have a break in fitness,” Certus says, sympathetically. “Right, babe?”

“For sure,” Prompto agrees. “I told him I’d help him get back into it, but we kinda forgot while we goofed around the last few days.”

“Of course you did,” Certus laughs. “You’re too much fun to crack the whip. I can definitely help you, Gladio. It’s important to find a friend to keep you motivated. _Not_ distracted.” He looks pointedly at Prompto who holds up his hands in surrender. Certus laughs and kisses Prom on the cheek to sooth the scolding.

_Damn it,_ Gladio sighs internally. _He **is** nice. And they’re cute together._

“I’d appreciate it,” Gladio says, and means it. Maybe, if Certus and Gladio can forge a friendship, and if he sees them together enough, he will get over his attraction to Prompto.

“I brought some sweets ‘round, you’re welcome to have some,” Certus points a hand toward a rather elaborate platter of pastries on the counter. “I hope you like them. It’s a new recipe that I had to fudge with a bit to get to work properly. My mother tasted them and said they were adequate, but she’s a patissier so her standards are pretty high.”

“Wow, that’s some talent,” Gladio comments, looking over all of the delicately prepared pastries. “Iggy, he’s gonna give you a run for your money.”

“I have already bent his ear for some tips,” Ignis smiles. “Perhaps with Certus’s help, we can finally figure out the secret to that dessert from Tenebrae that you’re so fond of, Noctis.”

“Ooh, a baking mystery!” Certus smiles. “Yes, let’s crack the case.”

“We’re gonna order pizzas for lunch,” Prompto says as Gladio takes a bite of a particularly delicious cherry danish. “You up for that?”

“Yeah, definitely,” Gladio nods. “I had a run earlier and I’m starving.”

There is a sudden boom and the sky opens up, the rain coming in from the open patio doors, and everyone rushes around to close windows and shut up the house as best as possible.

“We’re not really gonna make the pizza guy come out in this, are we?” Noctis says to Ignis.

“I believe it would be quite unconscionable,” Ignis answers.

“Certus, let’s make those breakfast wraps you like,” Prompto suggests. “I’m sure we have all of the ingredients on hand and they’re delicious.”

“Great idea, babe,” Certus claps. “I’ll grab the stuff from the fridge and you get together all the pans and utensils we’ll need. Get these other boys to work!”

“And I thought Specs was pushy in the kitchen,” Noctis says with a little laugh.

“No back talk, Prince Noctis!” Certus points, his stern expression incongruous with his slight and charming demeanor. “Ignis, I thought you had this young man under control?”

“If only,” Ignis smiles, tugging Noctis by the shirtfront into the pantry to gather ingredients.

Gladio watches the four of them, all so comfortable with each other, and feels like an ugly, torn pothole in a beautiful road; obstructive, unsightly, unwanted. He’s not sure he can fit in with the group anymore, their easy chemistry enviable.

“Gladio, don’t just stand there,” Certus points at him with his index finger as if he’s being reprimanded at school. “I have a very special job for you. Do you know how to make the perfect sunny side up egg?”

“Uh,” Gladio hesitates, not sure how to respond to Certus’s somewhat overbearing direction. “I can make a _passable_ egg.”

“Wonderful,” He smiles, waving him over and grabbing a frying pan from Prompto’s hands. “I can teach you. And then you’re going to make about ten of them.”

In less than ten minutes, Certus makes Gladio feel just as much a part of the group as he once did, and Gladio stands at the oven, cooking his sixth and seventh egg feeling like he’s maybe just met the nicest man on Eos, and he could never measure up.

It should make the termination of his crush easier, but it doesn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I drew Certus because I had to visualize him to give him some personality, so [here](https://i.imgur.com/FHIJp6s.png) he is.


	9. turning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A rough night, an apology gift, and an evening (mostly) alone.

The evening is quite fun, despite the incessant rain and the humidity that builds inside the villa. They play a quick one-off roleplaying game, and Ignis is right in his assessment of Certus’s imagination. He is funny and makes the two hour game engaging and hilarious for everyone. Gladio can’t remember a time when he’d laughed so much.

When it is time to retire, Prompto and Certus insist that they will clean up after dinner and the game. Gladio makes his way upstairs to give them privacy, since they haven’t seen each other in a week and a half, and have spent the entire evening in the company of himself, Ignis and Noctis. He can read in his room, rather than the living area.

Gladio is tucked into his bed, turning pages in the dimmed bedside light, when he hears the two ascend the stairs.

It is only in this moment that he realizes the position he is about to be in.

Sure enough, there are breathy laughs in the hall, bumps against the wall as they fall upon each other in the neighboring doorway, and the loud protest of springs as they both collapse into bed.

“Ah, Prom,” Certus’s muffled voice drifts into Gladio’s room through the thin wall. “Gods, I missed you so much.”

“Me too, babe,” Prompto replies. A series of moans and faint gasps wash over Gladio and he wonders if his pillow will be enough to mute their escapades.

Testing the theory, he folds the softness around his head and tries to listen to his breathing, but it’s no real use. Certus is… expressive, and very detailed about what he likes about what Prompto is doing to him.

When Gladio hears the rough groan that signals they’ve coupled, he throws the blankets off himself and grabs his book, slipping quietly out of his room and down the stairs... not that they would be able to hear him, anyway.

He’s a little surprised that Prompto hadn’t warned Certus that Gladio would be able to hear them, but he supposes that since he had told Prompto he didn’t mind hearing his _alone-time_ , Prompto must think that it won’t bother Gladio to hear this, too.

So that’s _his_ bad.

Gladio intends to only remain downstairs for the duration of their coupling, but it seems they are going for a marathon run tonight, because mere minutes after the noises cease, they begin anew.

He falls asleep on the couch, and wakes up with his book digging into his ribs as he is smacked in the head with a throw pillow by Noctis.

“Gladio,” Noct says, hitting him again when Gladio grunts and tries to remain sleeping. “Get up, man. We’re all going to a movie and it starts in like an hour.”

“M’ tired,” Gladio grunts. He’s not particularly interested in being sandwiched between two couples in a darkened theater.

“Too bad,” Noctis says, swatting him again. “You’re coming with us. Get up.”

“Ugh,” Gladio picks himself off the surface and tries to close his book tightly over some semi-bent pages. He’s going to have to lay it between two of his heavier books at home to fix the wrinkles. “Gimme like ten minutes. And some coffee.”

“Don’t stay up all night reading, dumbass,” Noctis laughs, finally throwing the pillow at him full in the face. “We only have a few more days before we go home, let’s make the most of ‘em!”

“Alright,” Gladio says, tilting his head until he feels a satisfying crack in his neck. “You’ve made your point. Be back down in a few.”

Gladio makes his sleepy way back upstairs just as Prompto and Certus are stumbling out of their room fully dressed for the day. They look well-rested, somehow.

“Morning, Gladio!” Certus smiles, slipping past Prompto and down the stairs. “I’m _starving_. I’ll pop a bagel into the toaster oven for you, love.”

“Thanks,” Prompto calls down the stairs. “Hey, sorry about last night, man. You know.”

“Yeah, I get it,” Gladio laughs, trying to push his hair out of his sticky eyes. “I’ll just get some ear plugs. Or download an audiobook to my phone. Or listen to some really, really intense death metal. You know, to drown it out.”

Prompto blushes, and it’s so ridiculous considering what he heard coming out of that room last night. Even from downstairs.

“We’ll probably be less… emphatic tonight,” Prompto says, scratching the back of his head.

“I’m not gonna count on that, man,” Gladio shakes his head, but smiles. Prompto grins back, sheepishly. “Hey, I gotta get dressed before Noct has me beheaded.”

“I won’t keep you,” Prompto laughs and heads downstairs.

Gladio shuts his door and hits his forehead against it a couple of times before getting himself together for the day. It’s going to be a challenge, no doubt.

=||==========>

The movie is fun and Gladio surprisingly loves the B-plot between two of the side characters, though of course they don’t get as much screen time as the main two. He wonders if the story will evolve into a franchise when the end is left satisfying but ambiguous. A post-credits scene seems to suggest there is more to the tale, but Gladio isn’t certain.

Generally, the movie had been entertaining enough to forget that he was sat smack dab between two lovey-dovey couples for two hours, but now that they’re discussing plans for a lunch date, Gladio feels like now is the time to bow out and head back to the villa for some time alone.

“Are you sure?” Prompto says, looking disappointed. “The sushi is supposed to be out-of-this-world.”

“Yeah, I think I’m gonna take a nap,” Gladio says, stretching for effect. “The movie was great but I’m still feeling a little groggy.”

“Shall we bring you back something?” Ignis asks, ever the polite, nurturing soul. “I know your usual order.”

“If you remember to, sure,” Gladio nods. “I’ll just call a water taxi and head back. See you guys later.”

The foursome waves after him and resumes their lively chatter as Gladio makes his way to the small dock nearby. It’s a bit painful to watch them go on without him, but at the same time it’s a relief.

The house is blissfully quiet and he retreats to his room, collapsing on the bed like a ton of bricks, and with a sigh, he drifts off.

When he wakes up, the sun is just setting, and the house is still silent. He imagines the group decided to extend their time away, and makes his way to the refrigerator to calm the raging beast of his hunger. There’s a bagged up styrofoam container inside with a note, his name at the top.

_”Gladio! Sorry you had to nap. I hope this makes up for it a little. -P”_

Gladio smiles, and unwraps the package on the counter. The container is chock full of his favorites; eel, spicy tuna, shrimp tempura and salmon. This must have cost quite a bit, and Gladio feels bad that Prompto went so far overboard to apologize for keeping him awake. Really, if Gladio wasn’t crushing so hard it would have been a mild inconvenience rather than the agony it had been. So it’s really partially Gladio’s fault he was so exhausted.

Rather than waste the effort Prompto had made, Gladio feasts. Every piece is exquisite, somehow elevated above any other sushi he’s eaten before. It must be due to the freshness of the ingredients, fish so abundant in the archipelago region. He almost can’t finish it all, but he also cannot stop himself.

Full to bursting, Gladio cleans up after his meal and contemplates what to do with his evening, or at least the time he has to himself. Really, there is nothing he couldn’t do while the others are around. Now that he is refreshed with sleep and fuel, he considers taking an evening swim in the cold waters of the swimming hole.

Gathering his gear, plus a flashlight for when the sun truly goes down, Gladio makes his way to the oasis. It is peaceful, save for the sounds of the rushing water.

Since he is alone, he takes advantage and strips down completely. It’s been a long time since he’s gone skinny dipping, not since he and Ignis and Noct went camping just before Prompto came into Noct’s life.

The water is colder than ever, not only because of the setting sun, but the rain from the night before as well. It’s refreshing, still, but Gladio imagines this dip will be short-lived. He’s just about to consider getting out when he hears voices.

“This place is so great, you’re gonna love it,” Prompto says, and then emerges from behind some tall plants, tugging Certus along behind him. “Gladio and I found it when Ignis and Noct were off on their dates and it’s been an absolute lifesaver because the water is actually _cold_.”

“Is this the place from the picture you posted to RapidShot?” Certus asks, excited. “The beautiful cliff view?”

“Yeah,” Prompto says, but then stops short when he nearly trips over Gladio’s bag. “Whoa! Huh?”

“Hey,” Gladio calls, over the noise of the waterfall. “Have a good day out?”

“Oh, hey dude,” Prompto laughs, awkwardly. “Yeah, it was fun. D’you get your sushi?”

“Yeah, it was delicious,” Gladio says, swimming closer to shore to avoid shouting, but not close enough for them to see his state of undress through the clear water. The darkness might hide it, but Gladio isn’t taking any chances. “You didn’t have to get so much, though.”

“Don’t worry about it, man,” Prompto smiles, then turns back to his partner. “I wanted to show Certus the swimming hole since we had a long day in the sun.”

“How’s the water?” Certus asks.

“Colder than ever,” Gladio says, treading water. “I was about to get out. But, uh, d’you think one of you could toss my shorts to me?”

“Ohohoh, Gladio,” Certus giggles. “A man after my own heart. I love a little skinny dipping. Prompto says no way.”

Gladio laughs. “Maybe he’s just trying to avoid the awkward situation that I’m in.”

“Oh, come on, we’re all guys, here,” Certus laughs, but stoops to pick up Gladio’s trunks and tosses them to him anyway. “What’s a little brain-hanging between bros, huh?”

Prompto is almost as red in the face as he was in the shoulders after their long afternoon here, but Gladio laughs. “I can understand not feeling comfortable being exposed. I don’t mind walking around without a shirt most of the time, but I gotta draw the line somewhere.”

Certus laughs, “Fair enough. But I’m gonna jump off that waterfall and then I’m going to swim au naturale.”

Gladio wrestles his legs back into his shorts as Certus dives in, and then Prompto after him, swimming for the opposite bank to begin their ascent. Finally dressed, he watches the two scale the vine-covered side of the cliff to the top of the fall, and, holding hands, plummet into the pool below with a mighty splash. They surface, laughing, and then they begin to embrace and Gladio turns away to pull himself fully onto land.

“Are you leaving?” Prompto calls to him, holding a squirming Certus with one arm.

“Yeah, I’m gonna get a shower and read until I fall back asleep,” Gladio answers, gathering his bag of gear. “Have fun, you two.”

“Bye!” Certus cheers, pushing Prompto’s head under the water, and then they are wrestling playfully, splashing every which way.

Gladio tries not to think about what else they’ll do in the beautifully clear water, and makes his way back to the villa.

=||==========>

Gladio is awoken by the sounds of Prompto and Certus climbing the stairs, whispering to each other and falling into bed, and he stifles a groan, hoping that they’ve spent enough energy already to simply fall asleep. His room is dark, a thin stripe of moonlight bleeding in from behind the drapes, and he listens for the sounds that will send him back downstairs to finish his night on the couch.

“You know, I really like Gladio,” Certus says, faintly through the wall. “Why hasn’t he got a partner?”

“I don’t really know,” Prompto says, and if there’s hesitation in his voice, Gladio’s heart aches to know why. “He’s great. He _should_ have someone.”

“Maybe he doesn’t want to get attached, since he’s travelling so much,” Certus offers, and Gladio wishes that were the case. 

“Maybe,” Prompto sighs. 

“When he gets back from Tenebrae, we should find someone for him,” Certus giggles. “What’s his type?” 

“I’m not really sure,” Prompto answers. “We’ve never talked about it.” 

“How is that possible?” Certus laughs. “Has he never pointed out someone he’s been attracted to? He seems like the type.” 

“He was flirting with a woman at this club we went to,” Prompto says. “Until I ruined that by getting way too fucked up.” 

“Oh, babe,” Certus giggles. “I’m sure he didn’t see it that way.” 

“He didn’t,” Prompto says, then pauses. “He’s really cool.” 

There is another long pause, and then more shifting. 

“Let’s sleep,” Certus says, and after that, no more sounds besides the occasional shift of a body turning over. 

Gladio lays awake for a long time, thinking about how ridiculous it is that he’s hanging on to his crush on Prompto, when he could be going out and finding someone available to connect with. Maybe they won’t be in his life forever, but they could be for a short time, and they might get him over his stupid, inconvenient, agonzing crush. 


	10. leaving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some friendly advice, an experience, and a fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gladio has an intimate night with a non-binary original character, and if you've got no interest in the details, it can be skipped. I just had fun with creating this person and wanted to show Gladio's first sexual experience. When Gladio says "Yeah, let's go," you can jump to the next =||==========> to skip it. <3

Gladio actually gets a good night’s sleep, and is up before the sun. He throws on his running gear and heads out, the sand always a little harsh to trudge through, but providing good resistance for his workout.

A few minutes into his steady but slow jogging, he hears approaching steps and knows immediately who it is.

“Hey, taking off without me, Big Guy?” Prompto chuckles as he catches up. “How very dare you.”

“Thought you’d be running with your other half,” Gladio answers, a little out of breath.

“He’s more of an early-morning-yoga kind of guy,” Prompto says, keeping pace with Gladio. “He’s not much of a morning person by nature so he has to ease into it.”

“I see,” Gladio nods, and falters for more to say. Instead, he focuses on breathing and putting one foot in front of the other.

“Hey, I hope you know you can hang out with us,” Prompto says, slowing down to a walk. Gladio matches him, happy for an excuse to take a break. He’s getting his stamina back but it’s still a bit of a struggle, which is more frustrating than he’d like to admit. “I know it sucks to try to hang out with a couple, and two of them even more so, but I hope you don’t feel left out.”

“Nah, it’s okay,” Gladio says, even though it _does_ suck. “I’m actually gonna head out to Altissia tonight to see if I can meet someone. I was planning to do that all along, just got a bit distracted.”

Prompto blushes a little bit, probably due to feeling responsible. “Well, I hope they’re cool. You deserve someone great for your first time, Gladio.”

Gladio stops, almost trips over his own feet. “Wh-what, why do you think--?”

“Oh, was it supposed to be a secret?” Prompto says.

“Astrals,” Gladio huffs. “What is it? Am I like, super awkward or something?”

Prompto laughs, and it’s possibly the worst reaction that he could have had, because now Gladio wants to fall in a hole and die. He’s been under the impression that he’s been fairly cool and smooth about the whole thing, but apparently he’s just so obvious he should just give up entirely.

“I don’t mean to laugh,” Prompto says, waving his hands and realizing that it was probably not the right thing to do. “But you’re like, the least awkward virgin I’ve ever met. I dunno why I can tell, I just can? I guess because it seems like if you weren’t you’d be out every night trying to score some strange.”

“Gods,” Gladio wipes a hand over his face.

“Although, that is kind of a giveaway,” Prompto points at him. “You get a little flustered when people talk frankly about sex! When Noct suggested your host family were swingers and they’d gotten you involved, you went as red as a tomato.”

“Hmm, great,” Gladio says, pushing his sweaty hair out of his face. “Well, maybe I won’t be for long.”

“You shouldn’t rush it if you don’t want to,” Prompto says, putting a soft hand on Gladio’s arm. “I rushed my first time and it was kind of a mistake. I wasn’t ready yet and I ended up pretty heartbroken.”

Gladio blinks down at Prompto and wonders who had pressured Prompto into doing something he wasn’t ready for, since apparently Certus isn’t his first lover.

“That’s rough, Prom,” Gladio says, wishing he could be more comforting, but coming up short.

“I’m fine, now,” Prompto waves off Gladio’s concern. “But it was a similar situation. I felt like I had to lose this aspect of myself, so I went ahead with it and it just didn’t make me happy afterward. Also, she was pretty pissed when I said I didn’t want to do it anymore.”

“She’s an asshole,” Gladio says, fiercely angry for him. “She wasn’t good enough for you.”

“Yeah, I know that now,” Prompto smiles. “But I don’t want you to go through that! You should wait until you find someone you trust, maybe even love.”

_I can’t,_ Gladio thinks, his desperate heart twisting in his ribcage.

“Thanks, Prom,” Gladio says, instead. “I’ll be okay, though, really. I’m more than ready, and I don’t necessarily want to _be_ in love right now. Maybe someday. But I’m young and ready to get out there.” He grins, hoping that he can convey an attitude of carefree self-indulgence to temper the heavy mood.

Prompto still looks sad, or perhaps even disappointed, but the draw of his eyebrows smooths and he smiles a little unconvincingly. “If that’s what you want, I wish you the best.”

“Yeah, dude,” Gladio chuckles. “I’m gonna get out there and break some hearts myself.”

Prompto laughs and rolls his eyes. “I don’t doubt it.”

=||==========>

_Tsunami_ is much more quiet when Gladio arrives at nine that evening, perhaps a bit too early for the usual crowd, but even the music is less top-of-the-charts pop and electronica, and more alt-rock. The crowd is still glowing with the blacklight and their vibrant clothes, and Gladio now blends in a bit better in a muted purple shirt that doesn’t quite light up as much as his plain white button-down from their previous visit.

He’s not there very long before a rather gorgeous individual approaches him, their long auburn hair shorn neatly on one side, the length flipped attractively over one shoulder. Several braids of various thickness peek out from under the loose upper layer, each tied off with invisible restraints and ending in a pleasing curl. Their long-lashed eyelids are hooded over brilliant green irises, and there is a faint spray of freckles across their nose.

They’re dressed in a tight black turtleneck with short, slightly puffy sleeves, and long billowing blue slacks that look almost like a skirt until they walk and the split is visible. They have numerous rings and earrings, and short painted nails. Altogether, they look young but sophisticated, and Gladio is just the least bit intimidated to catch their notice.

“Hey, there,” They say, sitting in the stool next to him. Their voice is deep but still their gender is imperceivable. It’s of no concern to Gladio, because the look they are giving him is going right to his core. “Alone tonight?”

“Not anymore,” Gladio says, and congratulates himself a bit for being able to summon words with how attractive they are. “What are you drinking?”

“Just a beer,” They answer, holding up a mostly empty bottle. “Thanks.”

“I’m Gladio,” He extends a hand in greeting. The fingers that slip into his are soft and long.

“Lissa,” They say, a pleased arch to their lips. “Great to meet you.”

Gladio motions to the bartender and points to their choice of drink for another. “Do you live in the area?”

“No, I’m a tourist, I’m afraid,” Lissa answers as they take their new drink from the bartender. “Here on a vacation, although it’s been a bit of a drag, since my friends are all coupled up and I’m on my own.”

“We’re in the same boat, then,” Gladio breathes a laugh. “My two best friends are a couple, and our third friend has himself a boyfriend that I’ve only just met.”

“They’re so annoying, aren’t they?” Lissa huffs, downing a long pull of their beer and Gladio chuckles. “It’s like, okay, we get it, you’re happy!”

“Worse when you’re stuck in a room next to them,” Gladio sighs. “I had to sleep on the sofa, downstairs, and I could still hear them.”

“Ugh, it’s enough to make a person nuts,” Lissa gripes. “But, I guess in the end, _we’re_ here having fun and meeting new people while they’re at home being all domestically fulfilled. So who are the real winners?”

Gladio laughs heartily. “I feel a lot better about it, now.”

Lissa slips off their stool and holds out a hand to Gladio. “Want to dance?”

“I’m not that great at it, I’m afraid,” Gladio says, but allows himself to be pulled up out of his seat. Lissa is fairly short, only coming up to Gladio’s pecs. Perfect. “But I’ll give it a shot.”

“I like a guy who is willing to try,” Lissa purrs, and Gladio’s stomach does flips.

They spend a few songs dancing gently, and Lissa doesn’t make him feel too awkward, though it is obvious that they’re much more skilled in moving to the music than Gladio could ever hope to be. When a slower song begins, Lissa curves themselves against Gladio’s body, and he wants to be bold enough to bring a hand down to their ass, but settles on gripping their slim hips instead.

“You’re not, like, married or anything, are you?” Lissa says, suddenly, a teasing tone to their voice.

“What?” Gladio scoffs. “No, of course not. Why do you think that?”

“I just can’t believe a guy as absolutely, mind-blowingly gorgeous as you is single,” They say, and Gladio’s cheeks flush and his pulse begins to race. Lissa blinks, then a knowing smile splits their face. “Ah, I see. How old are you, honey?”

Gladio wants to die. So Prompto was lying to spare his feelings, and he _is_ an obvious virgin. “I’m twenty.”

“Okay, good,” Lissa says, blowing out a relieved breath. “That’s old enough that I don’t feel like a creep.”

“How old-?”

“Twenty-five,” Lissa answers quickly, and Gladio blinks down at them. He imagined they were eighteen or nineteen, with how smooth and youthful their face is. Not that an older lover was a bad thing. Though he hoped Lissa would be forgiving of his inexperience. “Are you interested? Or no?” They ask, frankly.

Gladio swallows, looking down into Lissa’s emerald eyes and soft, pink lips. Their body pressed against him is more than welcome, and he can feel himself swelling with the thought of them touching him. “I’m very interested.”

“Excellent,” Lissa purrs. “Want to get out of here? I have a private room back at my rental and I wouldn’t mind being the one to annoy my roomies with my loud sexcapades for once.”

Gladio laughs. “Yeah, let’s go.”

=||==========>

Lissa’s room is a lot more posh than Gladio’s and their bed is huge and inviting. It is a good thing Lissa suggested going back to their place, because Gladio’s looks like a sad little boy’s room in comparison.

They’ve got Gladio pressed to the bed, his shirt discarded, and they’re pressing hot, open-mouthed kisses all over his chest, their hair tickling over his skin.

“Gods, you’re gorgeous,” Lissa breathes, going for Gladio’s belt. “How has no one snatched you up? You can’t have high standards, if you’re here with me.” They laugh breathily.

Gladio frowns slightly, brushing a hand over Lissa’s cheek. “Um, you know you’re hot, right?” He says, sincerely. “Like, the second I looked at you I was hooked.”

“What a charmer,” Lissa smiles. “Alright, get ready for some gratitude.” It’s all the warning he gets before they’re tugging his pants and boxers off and pressing hot, wet lips over the head of his cock.

“Gods,” Gladio gasps, jerking up as he’s devoured down, Lissa’s tongue tracing the underside of his dick as they envelop him whole. He’s not a small man, and he can feel his member bending slightly as it’s taken down their throat. “Slower, Lissa. Or I’m not gonna last.”

Lissa pops off him with a smirk. “That’s alright with me, baby.”

“Come up here,” Gladio asks, and he pulls them into his arms to drop a lazy kiss onto their lips, tasting himself for the first time, and it sends another pulse of blood to his already aching manhood. “Let me touch you, too.”

“If you insist,” Lissa smiles, and sits up to pull off their top. Their body is much more masculine than Gladio was expecting, contours of firm muscle in their stomach and chest, a pleasing jut of hip bone just above the line of their trousers. Gladio rolls Lissa onto their back and kisses a pert nipple, his thumb finding its mate and teasing it in time with his mouth.

Gladio feels an answering pulse against his thigh and cups the shape in his large hand, a soft moan escaping Lissa’s mouth against his ear. He’s not sure he’s ready to return the favor, but the weight feels pleasant in his hand.

“How much do you want, honey?” Lissa asks, a hand slipping over the firm globe of his ass and squeezing. “I can have fun either way, if you want to give or take. Whatever you like.”

“I like this,” Gladio says, and knows that even in Lissa’s hands, he’s not quite ready for penetration. Not yet.

“Can I use my mouth again?” Lissa asks, almost begging. “I want to taste you when you come.”

Gladio’s cock drips, hard as a club, a raspy groan bursting from his throat, and Lissa breathes a laugh before putting a soft hand around him again.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” They purr, and then their mouth is surrounding him again. Lissa is clearly an old pro at sucking cock, and Gladio is edging closer and closer to orgasm with every slide of their tongue and hollowing of their cheeks.

“Lissa,” Gladio gasps, feeling the spring coiling tighter and tighter. “I’m gonna-”

Lissa responds by working him harder, their hand and mouth stroking him in agonizing pleasure, until his hips snap and he is emptying himself down their throat with a rough shout. Lissa remains around him even when his spend escapes their lips, and they don’t pull off until he’s done twitching.

“Holy Six,” Gladio gasps. “That was incredible.”

“I’ll say,” Lissa smiles, wiping their face, returning to his side and grinning down at him as they lean on their elbows. “You lasted longer than I expected you to. I’m impressed.”

“What can I do for you?” Gladio asks, unsure if he will be able to rise to the challenge.

“Well,” Lissa says with a raised eyebrow. “I wouldn’t mind you pushing those thick fingers inside me.”

Gladio’s cock tries to regain its interest, but it’s far too soon. Which is fine. It’s time for him to return the favor anyway.

=||==========>

Gladio leaves Lissa’s place with pleasantly loose limbs and a smile, but there is part of him that doesn’t feel quite as satisfied as he imagined he would be. He thinks it may be in the way he is ushered out quietly after gathering his clothes, with no offer for him to stay. It almost feels shameful, making his way back to the villa via taxi, not even past midnight.

He’d had a good time, but now he kind of feels… used. Which is, he supposes, how Lissa should also feel, but for some reason he knows that Lissa is not having the crisis that Gladio is. It is probably the inexperience and the supposition he had, that once it was over, he would feel different.

He _does_ , but not in a _good_ way. Maybe Prompto was right.

The house is still lit up when he gets back and as he wanders in, he finds both Ignis and Noct on the sofa, staring out through the kitchen and the back patio at Prompto and Certus, who appear to be having a shouting match.

“What’s going on?” Gladio asks, setting his coat on the back of the couch.

“Not really sure,” Noctis answers. “They were fighting in their room for a few minutes but then it ended up out there.”

“It’s possible they were trying to keep us from overhearing,” Ignis adds.

“So you’re sitting here _watching_ them fight?” Gladio raises an eyebrow.

“They’ve never fought,” Noctis says. “Not like this. This is weird. I’m worried.”

Gladio watches, too, as Certus gestures wildly, first slapping a hand to his own chest, and then pushing both of his hands to his face as if he is crying.

Prompto is no longer yelling, but he looks displeased, a mixture of sadness and anger creasing his features. Their voices can no longer be heard, so Gladio hopes that the fight is winding down. Prompto shrugs, stares down at his feet while Certus talks. It looks like defeat.

Certus seems to wait for a response, but nothing comes. Gladio seats himself on the arm of the sofa as casually as he can when Certus begins to make his way to the house once more.

He stops a bit short, finding the three others in the living area. His face is red and puffy from tears, his lashes still beaded with their remnants. He hesitates a moment, and looks into Gladio’s eyes, a slight animosity in them for just a moment. Gladio isn’t even sure that is what he is seeing, before it’s gone.

“Ignis,” Certus says, his voice soft but hoarse. “Can you take me to Altissia? I’m catching a ferry home.”

“Are you sure?” Ignis asks, gently. “We could bring you in the morning. You can have my room for the night.”

“No, I’d like to go now,” Certus blinks down, sadly. “I apologize for the inconvenience. To you, as well, Noct. Sorry to do this just before your birthday.”

“No worries, man,” Noctis answers carefully. “I’ll come with you guys to Altissia so Iggy doesn’t fall asleep at the wheel on the way back.”

“Again, I’m sorry,” Certus says. “I’ll just go and collect my things. Gladio, it was very nice to meet you. I’m sorry to leave so suddenly. Thank you for welcoming me.”

Gladio nods. “Yeah, Certus. It was great meeting you, too.” He must have been imagining the accusation in the young man’s eyes, before.

Gladio watches him ascend the stairs until he’s out of view.

He wastes no further time making his way into the kitchen, out to the verandah, _to Prompto_.

“Gladio,” Ignis says, stopping him in his tracks. “Perhaps you should give him some time alone.”

Gladio scrunches his brows together. “Fuck, that, Iggy.” He turns and resumes his pace.

Prompto is sitting on the long wicker sofa, his head drooping, when Gladio shuts the patio door behind him. The blond head bobs with surprise, and when he sees that it is Gladio, Prompto rubs his face, clearing his tears.

“Hey,” Gladio says, gently, as he sits close to the blond. “What happened?”

“I don’t really want to talk about it, Gladio,” Prompto sighs. “Sorry to make such a scene.”

“Don’t apologize,” Gladio says, reaching to put an arm around Prom, but hesitates when he realizes that it might be too intimate a thing for the mood. “Are you alright?”

“Not my best day, no,” Prompto chuckles, wiping his nose on his forearm. “But I’ll manage.”

“You know if you need anything, we’re all gonna be here for you,” Gladio assures him. “Whatever you need.”

“I know,” Prompto says, sighing and laying back against the sofa, his eyes pointed up at the field of stars above them. The sky is clear and pitch black, the stars shining brilliantly against the infinite void. The sound of the speedboat starting rings out from the front of the villa. The hum of the engine fades as the distance grows.

“I’m really tired, Gladio. I think I’m just gonna go to bed.”

“Sure,” Gladio nods, letting Prompto leave, not wanting to hover. “See you in the morning, Prom.”

“Goodnight,” Prompto breathes, his steps slow and defeated. Gladio’s heart is breaking, but this time, not for himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bye, Certus!


	11. comforting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A huge breakfast, a haircut, and a carnival.

Gladio is puttering around his room, tidying up before heading downstairs for another early-morning run when there is a hesitant knock at his door. Prompto is on the other side, of course, considering the early hour and how late Ignis and Noctis must have gotten back from delivering Certus to Altissia. He looks tired, but there’s a tentative smile on his face.

“‘Morning,” He says, quietly. “I’m heading off for a run, and I heard you moving around. Wanna join me?”

“Yeah, sure,” Gladio answers, softly. There’s little chance the guys will hear them from downstairs but he likes to try to be considerate when moving around so early, even when they’ve all gone to sleep at a reasonable hour.

“I’m thinking of dropping by the bakery on Lilet Island and grabbing some pastries,” Prompto says as they make their way downstairs and out through the kitchen. “I wanna try to make it up to Iggy and Noct for having to be out so late last night. I was thinking of making a big, late breakfast.”

“That’s nice of you,” Gladio smiles, putting a comforting hand on Prompto’s shoulder. “But I don’t think they need an apology or anything. I think they’re mainly just going to be worried about you.”

“Yeah, that’s another reason to try to do something nice,” Prompto sighs. “I’m gonna be okay, so I don’t want them to worry.”

“Well, I’m onboard with getting more sweets,” Gladio grins. “I might not look like the type but I love me a dessert. Especially when it’s a dessert that’s okay to eat at breakfast time.”

Prompto laughs, light and sweet. “Alright, ten minute run, then we’ll get on the boat and head over there. By the time the guys wake up I want to have a huge spread waiting for them.”

“Cool,” Gladio nods. “I’ll help.”

They run at a decent pace for about five minutes, then jog a bit, then resume their faster pace again until they’re back at the house. The boat isn’t hard to drive, but Gladio’s not that confident about it, preferring to ride most times. Prompto is pretty deft with the controls so Gladio lets him have it.

“So how was last night?” Prompto asks, out of nowhere.

At first, Gladio doesn’t realize he’s asking about Gladio’s night out, which in all the fuss, he’s kind of put to the back of his mind.

“Oh,” Gladio says, heaving a breath and crossing his arms over his chest. “It was pretty good.”

“Just ‘pretty good’?” Prompto says, with concern in his furrowed eyebrows.

“Yeah, I mean, it was a hook-up,” Gladio shrugs, unfolding his posture to not look so defensive. “It served its purpose.”

“Mmm,” Prompto hums, and Gladio wonders what he’s thinking.

They drive the rest of the way in silence, neither of them wanting to dredge up the dirt of the other’s night.

The town on Lilet Island is sleepy, but some of the more important businesses are already open, including the bakery. The smell wafting out of the place is heavenly, and Gladio contemplates buying extra croissants just to have on hand for later in the afternoon. His mouth is practically watering as they select several varieties of pastries.

They bring their boxes to the register, and Prompto grabs Gladio’s out of his hands to set them together on the counter.

“Hey,” Gladio objects, but Prompto holds up a hand. Gladio doesn’t care, and objects anyway. “You don’t have to do that.”

“I don’t _have_ to,” Prompto says, haughtily. “I _want_ to.”

Gladio smirks, and supposes he’s trying to get him back for the book and lunch a few days ago. It’s alright, he supposes.

Making the feast Prompto wants is a long affair, and it takes around an hour to coordinate all of the chopping and cooking necessary, and by that time, Ignis and Noctis stumble out of their room looking a bit miffed at all of the noise coming out of the kitchen directly in front of them. When they see the table full of food, they have little to complain of, however.

“Have a seat, guys,” Prompto smiles, and his demeanor is almost normal. Barely a hint of sadness, and it’s possible that the emotion is more aligned with guilt. “I really hope you’re hungry because I may have overdone it.”

“ _May_ have?” Gladio says, even as he is partly responsible for the crime.

“This looks splendid,” Ignis says, but there’s a cautious tone to his voice. “How are you this morning, Prompto?”

“I’m alright,” He answers, and if the three of them didn't know him so well, it might be believable.

“You sure?” Noctis asks, ignoring the request to have a seat and putting a hand on his best friend’s back as the blond shovels another three eggs onto a plate already covered with them. “‘Cause it looks a little bit like you’re having a breakfast-related breakdown.”

“I’m sure!” Prompto says, slapping his hands against the counter, and the other three pause at the outburst. “I’m sure,” he adds, more gently. “I just wanted to make you guys a good breakfast in apology for having to drive all the way to Altissia and back last night.”

“It was no trouble,” Ignis says, adjusting the fit of his glasses. “Though Certus would not elaborate on what had transpired between you. I hope that it wasn’t irreparable.”

Prompto fidgets as he returns the frying pan to the stovetop to cool, but doesn’t answer Ignis’s gentle suggestion of inquiry. “Gladio, how is the bacon coming?”

“It’s about to be done,” Gladio responds, carefully. “Why don’t you go sit, Prom? I’ll bring the rest over.”

Prompto nods and Noctis leads him to the table, sitting side by side as usual.

Breakfast is a bit strained, but no one asks Prompto any further questions and Noctis, bless him, finds a suitably neutral topic to discuss: video games. Once the conversation picks up, Prompto is a lot more lively and more like himself, so the other three silently agree to leave the subject of Certus alone for now. Prompto will come to them when he’s ready.

Ignis and Noctis have plans for the afternoon that they suggest they will cancel, but Prompto won’t let them.

“Don’t hang around here on my account,” Prompto insists, lounging on the loveseat in the living area, once they’ve cleaned up their breakfast. “I’m fine. I just want to hang around here for the day, anyway. If you have something more exciting to do, please go do it before we have to go back home!”

“If you’re certain…” Ignis responds.

“I _am_ ,” Prompto pinches his lips together in determination.

“I’m just gonna hang here for the day, too,” Gladio shrugs, glancing back down at his book casually. “So I’ll be around if you guys really need him to be supervised.”

“Gladio-” Prompto bristles.

“I’m not really going to mother-hen you, Prom,” Gladio smiles conspiratorially, “I’m just saying that so they’ll _go_.”

Prompto laughs. “Well, they’ve heard your plan, now.”

“Alright, you two are on your own,” Noctis says, throwing his hands up. “Let’s leave these jokers to sit around all day.”

“Indeed,” Ignis says, tugging Noctis’s arm toward the door. “Have a splendid afternoon, gentlemen.”

“Bye!” Prompto waves, and Gladio raises a hand in a similar but less enthusiastic gesture.

The sounds of the boat drift off down the coast and the house is peaceful once again.

Gladio tries to concentrate on reading but he can feel Prompto staring at him. He pushes his hair out of his eyes, trying to ignore the scrutiny, but the locks fall back down over his brow.

“I could trim that for you,” Prompto offers.

Gladio finally looks up at him. “I’m not sure I’m really into the punk aesthetic,” He says, deadpan.

“I mean, it’d look great on you, but whatever,” Prompto smiles. “Are you growing it out? Your undercut is looking pretty shaggy.”

“I wanna do something with it, I’m just not sure what. I gotta get it fixed before the birthday ceremony in Altissia, so I’ll have to get it done soon.”

“I’m serious, let me help. I have an idea,” Prompto moves from the loveseat to sit next to Gladio on the sofa. “Turn to the side.”

Gladio sighs and puts his book down, doing as asked. Prompto shifts around behind him, presumably to get up on his knees, considering their height difference. Then, his fingers are sifting through Gladio’s hair, gentle and sure, and a shiver runs up Gladio’s spine.

_Seriously?_ He scoffs at himself. _I finally had sex last night, how am I getting excited by **this**?_

“So I’m thinking, shave up the sides again, but let the back grow out, and I’ll trim up the length so that it’s a pseudo-mohawk. I think it’d look pretty awesome. Not exactly clean-cut and straightlaced but I don’t think your dad would object to it.”

“I guess if you mess it up, I’ll just buzz it all off,” Gladio chuckles. Prompto pinches the back of his bicep in retaliation. “Hey, ow!”

“Don’t you mess with me Gladiolus,” Prompto scolds him. “I can make you hurt.”

_Prom, **please** stop,_ Gladio thinks, biting his lip.

“Let’s go up to the bathroom, I’ve got my scissors up there and you’ve got your trimmer, right?”

“Yeah,” Gladio says, opening his eyes without realizing they had fluttered shut as Prompto played with his hair.

=||==========>

Gladio watches Prompto as he concentrates on trimming the longer portions of his hair, the focused, sure gaze of his violet eyes pleasing to stare into, even if it’s not pointed directly at him, but his hair instead. They’d shaved his sides and cleaned up the back a bit with the trimmer first, and now all that is left is to blend the length down to the shorter portion of the back.

“You already look really good,” Prompto assures him, the snipping of the scissors sending a rain of hair down over Gladio’s shoulders. “I bet Iggy and Noct are gonna be so surprised when they get back.”

“Wait, how different does it look?” Gladio is nervous, now. The suggestions Prompto had made earlier did not seem very drastic, but if they were going to be _that_ noticeable, maybe he should have had second thoughts.

“Good different,” Prompto says, a confident smile cutting across his face. “Hot.”

Prompto’s eyes flick down to Gladio’s face for a moment, catching his gaze, before resuming his concentration.

Gladio’s heart is hammering and his nerves are now all at attention. He declines to acknowledge the comment, and instead stares down at his own hands, unwilling to pick apart any micro expressions that might flit across Prompto’s face that could fill Gladio with hope.

A few more snips of the scissors and Prompto declares it finished. He shifts aside to let Gladio stand up from his seat on the toilet, and directly in front of them is the mirror.

It really _does_ look good. The blend from the front to the back is smooth and leaves a little length at the front, but not as much as before. Prompto has pushed it to one side and the effect is interesting. It really does look like a relaxed mohawk. The sides of his hair blend down to his facial hair perfectly, leaving the majority of his scruff at his chin, but the hint of stubble up to his hairline. It’s rather impressive.

“Damn, Prom,” Gladio shifts his head from side to side, inspecting the work. “You are one talented dude. What can’t you do?”

“Sometimes walk and breathe at the same time, but it’s whatever,” Prompto smiles. “Seriously, I have to hand it to myself, you look great.”

“Thanks for fixing me up,” Gladio says, finally turning away from his reflection to look down into Prompto’s pleased face and purple-galaxy eyes. “I owe you one.”

“Think nothing of it,” Prompto says, and Gladio realizes just how close they are in this tiny bathroom. They’re barely a foot away from their chests pressing together, and Gladio internally cringes at his lascivious thoughts.

“I’m gonna, uh, take a shower,” Gladio says, pointing a thumb at the tiled enclosure behind them. “Get all this hair off me.”

“Oh! Yeah,” Prompto nods, dusting the clippings off his shirt front and onto the floor. “I’ll come sweep this up once you’re in there, that way you won’t have to step through it with wet feet.”

“Thanks,” Gladio says, and watches as Prompto makes his way out of the door presumably to grab a broom from downstairs.

Gladio strips and shakes out his pants, a few rogue clumps of hair sticking to the tops of his thighs when he sat for the cut. He’s a little hard, and the thought of Prompto coming in here while he is naked in the shower makes him swell a little more. He feels terrible having such thoughts, given the turmoil Prompto is in right now, but there is little he can do to stop them.

There’s a knock at the door, Prompto returning, and Gladio jumps a bit. “Just a second, I’m not in yet,” He calls, turning the knob to get the water running. It’s still a little cold when he jumps in and drags the curtain shut, but he’d rather get in as quickly as possible to get Prompto out all the sooner. “Okay, come on in.”

The door opens and Gladio can hear the quick strokes of the broom across the tiles, Prompto moving with swiftness.

“Man, when I was cutting your hair, I didn't realize there was so much of it,” Prompto comments. “I’m almost covered in it and there’s a huge pile on the floor.”

“Sorry,” Gladio says, his hand on his pulsing cock, holding it down in case, somehow, Prompto can see his silhouette through the curtain. “Maybe you should take a shower down in Noct’s bathroom?”

There’s a bit of a pause, and Gladio wonders if Prompto is weighing a choice, because there’s a tiny part of _himself_ that wants to invite Prompto in to share with him.

“Yeah, I guess I’ll do that,” Prompto says, finally, and Gladio silently releases a gust of breath. “See you downstairs.”

“Yeah,” Gladio replies. The moment the door shuts, Gladio soaps his hand and strokes himself furiously, as quickly as possible, the build up of his orgasm firing off visions of Prompto in front of him, wet and slick and _open_ , his small hands clinging to the tile as Gladio forcefully fills him, and then he is biting back a loud groan as he comes, the small fantasy bringing him to completion harder than the experience he’d had the night before.

Gladio wonders if there is any hope of getting over how he feels about Prompto, and it’s an overwhelming concern.

=||==========>

Ignis and Noctis return from their day out with news of a carnival, surprised indeed by Gladio’s new hairstyle. Prompto is surprisingly on board for the outing, despite his mood earlier in the day.

The four of them get ready, dressing in relaxed clothes and sneakers instead of sandals. The sun is just sinking behind the horizon when they arrive at the festivities, and the place is packed. There are vendors and food stalls and games and rides winding their way through the streets and across the beaches. It’s all a little astounding, but at the same time it’s stunning. Ignis and Noctis break off from the group to investigate the food stands, Ignis’s curiosity with some local delicacies piqued. Prompto of course wants to ride the tiny coaster set up on the beach, and Gladio accompanies him despite a lack of trust in the structural integrity of the put-up-then-take-down nature of carnival rides.

The four are on the ferris wheel, in separate cars, when the fireworks display begins.

The lights reflect off the ocean beautifully, and the booming blast of them echoes for miles. Prompto has to cover his ears, but leans back in his seat to enjoy the expanse of the fizzling lights as the ferris wheel stops at the top. Gladio watches him for a moment, Prompto’s joyful face lighting a similar spectacle in the larger man’s chest. He leans back, too, watching the beautiful explosions outside himself instead. The weight of Prompto’s head presses against his shoulder, and the universe seems to align, everything is now good and right, and Gladio never wants it to end.

Which is, of course, the moment the ferris wheel begins to move once more. They are brought back down to terra firma, and wait for their friends to be set free of the ride as well.

“Noctis had a thought,” Ignis says as they rejoin Gladio and Prompto. “We should take the boat now, and get out on the water to watch the remainder of the fireworks.”

“Oh, sick idea, buddy,” Prompto nods, grabbing onto Gladio’s arm as he begins leading them to the docks. “Let’s go, before they’re over!”

It takes a lot longer to return than expected, through the crowd and against their appetites. They stop at no less than five different food stalls on the way out, grabbing skewers, loaded fries, cotton candy, fried dough and drinks. By the time they get onto the boat and get out onto open water, the finale is bursting in cacophonous splendor around them. The sparks seem to shower over them, fizzling out just in time to avoid burning any of the boats of citizens that had similar ideas.

Once the spectacle is over, Ignis carefully navigates through the other boats and back toward the villa, Noctis sitting lovingly at his side. Gladio and Prompto share the long seat at the back of the boat, the blond staring back at the lights of the carnival disappearing in the distance, and Gladio can’t take his eyes off of him.

=||==========>

There’s another quiet knock at his door, late into the night as Gladio is reading, much like the way his day began. Prompto smiles shyly when Gladio answers.

“Can I hang in here with you?” He asks, his voice tired. “Maybe we could pick up where we left off in the book? Unless you finished it.”

Gladio hasn’t. Hasn’t had any desire to return to the story without Prompto there next to him. But he doesn’t say all of that, just ushers the blond into the room and hands him the book, their place saved with a scrap of paper pressed between the pages.

Rather than taking the chair, Prompto sits on the bed, and Gladio hesitates to join him until the smaller man pats the spot next to him.

“I swear, if Miren pretends she likes this other guy and ditches Artex, I’m going to jump into the book to slap her,” Prompto announces, his pale eyebrows twitching in irritation.

“I thought you didn’t like them as a couple?” Gladio laughs.

“I may have been wrong about them before,” Prompto says, flipping to the page they’d left off. “Or maybe I just hate this new guy, who knows.”

Prompto leans against Gladio, his soft cheek against the larger man’s bare shoulder, and the contact burns against Gladio’s skin and in his stomach. He wants nothing more than to throw his arm around Prompto’s shoulders and take him in his arms. Instead, he schools himself into stillness, vowing to be a friend during this rocky time. 

Prompto reads for a full chapter, until his voice goes hoarse and Gladio has to pick up the slack. By that point, they’re laying together, side by side, Gladio pressed to the wall, trapped by Prompto, his eyes fluttering closed. Gladio isn’t far behind him, and once Prompto is lightly snoring, Gladio shuts the book, turns off the light, and closes his eyes, too.


	12. floating

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A warm dream, bonding, and bliss.

_Gladio basks in the sunlight dappling through the trees near the swimming hole as he floats on his back, the waters now warm and relaxing, rather than the refreshingly frigid temperature he’d become accustomed to. The waterfall, usually an overwhelming roar, is almost silent, providing a soothing background noise that sooths him further into relaxation. His peaceful rest is interrupted by slick, warm hands smoothing over his chest, drawing his body down into the water, and Gladio smiles when he feels warm lips slide over his own, knowing without looking, that they belong to his heart’s desire._

_Limbs tangling, hands exploring, Gladio bites back a groan as his manhood is grazed by a soft thigh, and he involuntarily ruts up against it, the friction sweet and rough._

Something pulls him from sleep, but he is dazed and blinking back his dream before he can identify the disruption. Gladio tries to move his arm but finds it pinned by a blond head, and the memory of how he had fallen asleep crashes back into his consciousness.

He finds that his arm isn't the only thing trapped by Prompto’s presence in his bed; their legs are tangled, much like in his dream, and his cock is just as stiff, but this time, it is pressed into Prompto’s belly.

Gladio has to bite his bottom lip when he feels an answering hardness against his hip. He debates waking Prompto and offering a quick apology, but judging by the continued light snoring, Prompto is dead to the world.

Moving carefully and quietly, Gladio shifts Prompto’s legs out from the mess of their limbs, and slides his arm free, laying the blond head gently back against the pillows. It’s a bit of a trick to slip from the bed from his position on the inside of the twin mattress, but he manages to get out without waking his bedmate.

Prompto is comfortably sleeping away, undisturbed as Gladio smiles down at him. His eyes are shut softly, his mouth just slightly parted and slack, the gentle rise and fall of his chest, and all of him is beautiful. It’s a sight Gladio could get used to waking up to.

If it hadn’t been only one day since Prompto’s partner had stormed out, Gladio might have felt emboldened enough to try to gently wake him, to perhaps offer his mouth and his hands to Prompto’s body, drawing pleasure from the both of them, their day begun with passion and languid bliss.

His own lust continues unabated, and with no other option, Gladio takes to the shower, wringing his guilty need from himself. When he is finally sated and clean, he realizes he will have to retrieve fresh clothes from his room with only a towel wrapped around him. Hopefully without waking Prompto.

When he gets out of the shower and back into the comfort of his room, Prompto is no longer in his bed. Perhaps the running water had awakened him, and he returned to his own.

 _Ah, well,_ Gladio thinks, hanging the towel over the chair near the small writing desk, rummaging through his drawers for clothes to wear.

The door opens unexpectedly, and Prompto squawks with shock, jumping back behind the door into the hallway with an apology.

“Sorry, dude,” Prompto says, his voice shaky. “I didn’t realize you’d be- I’ll knock next time! Oh, man.”

“I-it’s okay,” Gladio says, his face flushed and hands frantically digging for underwear. He drags a pair of boxer briefs over his legs and up, the waistband snapping uncomfortably across his bottom in his haste. “Did you forget something in here?”

“No, I was just coming back to see what you were planning for the day-” Gladio can _hear_ the blush staining his freckled face from behind the door. “Iggy and Noct want to go back to the falls, and I had the idea that maybe we could camp out there tonight.”

Gladio is finished dressing, but is almost still too embarrassed to open the door for the smaller man. “That sounds awesome, I love to camp. Haven’t done it in a long time.”

“Noct doesn’t want to, but Ignis voted yes, so he’s got to,” Prompto laughs, and sounds like he’s gotten over the mishap. Gladio steels himself and pulls the barrier open between them.

“Hi,” Prompto says, a little breathless.

“Hey,” Gladio smiles, and the butterflies in his ribcage are back. Will there ever be a time when that soft face doesn’t inspire a jump in his heart rate?

“So… I’m sorry I fell asleep in your bed last night,” Prompto says, completely abandoning his camping crusade. “You could’ve kicked me out.”

Gladio swallows a little, almost hypnotized by the beauty of Prompto’s face. “I didn’t want to,” He says, and it’s a bit surprising he had the courage to admit it.

Prompto pinches the loose front of Gladio’s shirt between his thumb and forefinger, tugging slightly, a smile on his lips. “I’m glad you didn’t.”

Gladio’s heart is hammering, the blood rushing to his ears. He hopes he isn’t dreaming, because how could he take this any other way? Prompto _wanted_ to sleep next to him. He’s so soft, and smiling, and pulling at Gladio’s clothes, and _gods_ , Gladio just wants to bend down and kiss him, it seems so right-

“Prom, you guys ready or what?” Noctis calls up the stairs, breaking the pleasant atmosphere.

“Yeah, we’ll be right down,” Prompto says, not releasing Gladio’s shirt, but using his grip to tug the larger man forward. “Come on, let’s get down there before he changes his mind and digs his heels in.”

“Iggy won’t let him,” Gladio says, trying to hide his disappointment at the disruption. “If anything, he’s going to dig _his_ heels in and make this entire trip mandatory.”

Prompto’s laugh echoes through Gladio’s chest, and he is eager to spend the day making it happen again and again.

=||==========>

The villa has a storage closet off the upper balcony that houses two pup tents and some camping chairs, along with a small grill and a lightweight dining set for four, amongst other things. The four of them pack blankets, pillows and other sundries along with a little more food than they’ll necessarily need for one night out under the stars.

Gladio once again gets stuck carrying the lion’s share of the equipment, but this time he’s eager to spend the afternoon setting up and enjoying time with his three best friends doing what he loves.

Prompto insists that they have to camp inside the cavern behind the falls, but Gladio isn’t sure they should try to drag the tents behind the cascade where they’ll get wet. Prompto’s compromise is to climb the outcropping and find a way to the back entrance from the ledge of the waterfall, which Gladio isn’t very keen on.

“Why don’t we see if there’s another way in?” Gladio suggests, knowing that the majority of their bags would have to be carried up, not just the tents. “I’m not going to let you climb up and down that cliffside with all this stuff. You’ll fall and break your neck.”

“Fine,” Prompto huffs, crossing his arms over his pale, bare chest. “Noct, come on, you gotta see this cavern, it’s so cool.”

“Yeah, show me,” Noctis says, and the two of them dive into the pool to swim over to the tiny ledge leading back.

“I’m glad to see that Prompto is doing better,” Ignis says, applying sunscreen to his shoulders. “Though I’m quite surprised to see him acting so normally. I thought for sure he would be devastated for the rest of the trip.”

“Has he said anything about why Certus left?” Gladio asks, a little too curious, though he doesn’t like to admit it.

“Not a word,” Ignis shrugs. “But then again, if he were to tell anyone, it would most likely be you.”

Gladio’s heart stutters. “Why me?”

Ignis blinks at him for a moment before replying, “You two have been spending a lot of time together, I just assumed it would provide an opening for some kind of discussion about the events of the other night.”

“Oh, right,” Gladio nods. “No, he hasn’t said anything to me, either. But I also haven’t really wanted to pry.”

“A fair point,” Ignis agrees. “I imagine it would also be a bit difficult to discuss Certus, between the two of you.”

“Uh…?”

“Considering you didn’t really know Certus,” Ignis clarifies. “Noct and I have spent quite a bit of time with the two of them, but you haven’t. Perhaps I should put away my selfish desires to monopolize Noctis’s time so that Prompto can open up a bit about what happened.”

“Iggy,” Gladio says, nudging him with an elbow, “Prom’s doing alright. Don’t sacrifice your happiness if you don’t have to. If he needs help, he’ll tell you.”

“I’m not sure I have that confidence,” Ignis says, folding his glasses and setting them on his towel. “We _are_ talking about the boy that broke his finger and didn’t tell anyone for over a week.”

“Hm,” Gladio considers. Ignis might be right. Would Prompto ask for help if he needed it? He is ‘self-sufficient’. Doesn’t even depend on his _parents_ for his emotional needs.

Gladio feels horrible focusing on his desire for Prompto instead of considering his friend’s need for a confidant. All the signs are there; the increased priority for distractions, the desire to not be alone.

 _I’m a shitty friend,_ Gladio thinks. _Thinking his body language this morning was because he **wants** me, rather than just needing someone around to help him not feel alone when he’s in distress. Astrals, I’m an ass._

“I’ll try to ask him about it later,” Gladio says, patting Ignis on his shoulder and grimacing when the hand comes back slimy with sunscreen. “You and Noct keep up the honeymoon.”

“Please let me know if we should be concerned,” Ignis says, pointedly ignoring Gladio’s jab.

“You got it, Specs.”

=||==========>

Noctis ends up finding a twisting pathway through the darkness that opens up behind a bunch of tall bushes and leads back to the pool, affording them a way in that doesn’t involve getting completely soaked. The four of them haul their gear into the cavern and set up some temporary lighting so that they can erect their tents.

“Prom, let’s put our tent across the cavern so we don’t have to listen to their shenanigans all night,” Gladio jokes, and Prompto snickers. 

“Envy isn’t a good color on you, Gladio,” Noctis snarks, then grabs Ignis for a quick kiss to provoke his Shield.

“See, you think _that_ bothers me,” Gladio grins, “But it’s actually cute. Go ahead.”

“Damn it,” Noctis mutters. “I hate losing ammo against you.”

The two pairs finish setting up their tents, Ignis and Noctis’s looking a little sad until Gladio gives them a hand with tightening up the pegs.

“Can we please go swimming now?” Prompto whines. “It’s dark and damp in here, but I’m still sweating like crazy.”

“C’mon, Blondie,” Gladio says, shuffling him toward the tight path back to the other side of the waterfall. “I’m gonna toss you through the falls.”

“Ha ha, awesome,” Prompto laughs, scooting through the too-close tunnel much faster than Gladio can keep up.

=||==========>

They’re in and out of the water all day, and well past lunch, Ignis and Noct decide to explore the path up the peak of the bluffs, while Gladio floats on his back in the water, the muted sounds of the falls lulling him into a relaxed state as he closes his eyes.

The dream from this morning has already escaped his memory, but something familiar tugs at his consciousness as a hand finds his shoulder in the water and startles him out of his repose.

“Oh, sorry, Big Guy,” Prompto says, pulling his hand back like it’s been burned when Gladio startles.

“No, it’s okay,” Gladio laughs, shakily. “I just was in like, a trance there.”

“It almost feels warmer in the water, now, when I try to go to shore,” Prompto exaggerates a shiver. “Which is refreshing, for sure, but weird.”

“Yeah, the breeze will really chill you after you get all wet,” Gladio says, cringing a little at the small talk while trying to grasp for the familiar sensation tickling at his brain to examine it.

It all comes crashing back to him when Prompto’s hands slip up and over his shoulders, their legs tangling as they try to tread water and stay above the surface of the water. Prompto’s violet eyes reel him in and Gladio sucks in a breath just before the galaxies shutter and Prompto leans in to press his soft, plush lips against Gladio’s.

His sound of shock is muffled against Prompto’s mouth, and without hesitation, _against his better judgement_ , Gladio pushes back, opening his mouth when Prompto’s tongue swipes across his lips, asking for entrance.

It’s a little difficult to kiss Prompto properly while trying to stay afloat, but Gladio puts in his best effort. Prompto pulls back, smiling shyly, and Gladio wants him more than ever. He draws the thin, pale arms over his shoulders, letting Prompto cling while he keeps them above the depths, and their mouths meet again, the kiss much more insistent and hungry. When Prompto’s thighs grip Gladio’s hips, the larger man falters in his floating as their cocks bump together.

Prompto breaks the kiss, laughing lightly. “Maybe we should get closer to shore,” He suggests, and once he speaks, reality comes tumbling down on Gladio. They’re kissing, Prompto offering more, but the reality is that Prompto might be still attached, and Gladio has been certain that these feelings were mostly his own, unreciprocated.

“Prom,” Gladio begins, gently. “What about… is this okay?”

Prompto’s eyebrows bow, his expression conflicted, but then he nods with certainty. “Yeah, it’s okay. If it’s okay with you, I mean.”

“It’s- it’s _more_ than okay with me,” Gladio confesses, and it feels good to admit. “But are you and Certus… over? I don’t really want to be the guy that breaks people up-”

“I’m the one that broke us up,” Prompto says, firmly. “It was my fault. I’m the one that broke Certus’s heart.”

“What happened?” Gladio asks, swimming them to the shallow area, holding Prompto close for reassurance.

When they reach the shore, Prompto pulls out his phone from the waterproof satchel he keeps it in, taps a few times and hands it to Gladio.

There is a photo of Gladio standing at the summit of the bluffs, from the day they’d discovered the cave and the path. It’s a really great shot; the sunset creating a highlight to Gladio’s face as the shadows cling to the contours of his back, the colors muted except for the pinks and oranges of the sky beyond him.

“I’m not sure I understand why this-”

“Swipe back,” Prompto says, a little guilty.

There’s another photo of Gladio swimming in the pool, close up on him as his arm arcs out of the water, another artful shot that captures the motion of his swimming stroke as the water sprays off his limb above him.

Prompto’s eyebrows rise, a nod indicating that he should continue to swipe backwards, and Gladio follows the direction. There’s another of himself asleep on the couch, the angle sharp, as if it was taken while Prompto sat right next to him. It must be from the night he fell asleep while they were reading together.

The next is from the bike adventure, taken from Prompto’s second-place position behind Gladio as they pedaled up an incline. Gladio is almost impressed he was able to take the shot without dropping his phone, considering how difficult it was to make it up some of the slopes. It’s a bit… focused on his backside, if he were to critique the composition.

The one before that is from their lunch at the cafe next to the bookstore, Gladio is looking to the side and sipping his coffee. It’s not quite as exploitative as the previous shot, but it is taken almost lovingly, the crop tight on his face, but off center and well composed. Gladio hadn’t realized that Prompto had been taking his picture at the time, simply chalked it up to him sending a text.

There are more beyond, one of the cover of the book that Gladio had bought for Prompto, then a candid shot of him paying for the pile of tomes, then one of Gladio walking across the dock to their boat from the night they went out to _Tsunami_ , when he had overdressed just a bit.

After that, he swipes back one to an unrelated meme that Prompto has saved, and Prom grabs the phone out of his hand.

“He went on my phone to try to look up your number, because he wanted to get to know you better,” Prompto says, tucking the phone back into the waterproof case. “I guess he also had the idea to check out my latest photos, since he knows that I would have taken a ton on this trip. He didn’t like seeing that they were _all_ of you.”

Gladio doesn’t want to feel the excitement that he does, but it’s bursting to break free on his face. He feels terrible for being the reason that Prompto’s partner left, but at the same time, it's elating to know that his feelings are returned, because that’s all this could mean. Right?

“I mean, we were spending a lot of time together,” Gladio begins, feeling out the truth.

“Gladio,” Prompto says, a huff of breath bursting from behind his smile. “I took these because I have an enormous, expansive, universe-encompassing crush on you. I thought kissing you might have given you a hint, but it seems your brain is as thick as your chest.”

Gladio laughs, the tension fully broken, his muscles unclenching with relief. His feelings are returned. Requited. Matched. He presses his forehead to Prompto’s temple, holding him close with one arm, pressing the smaller man to his chest with fierce exhilaration.

“I had to be sure,” Gladio says, a little sheepishly. “I’ve been agonizing over you for days, and I couldn’t stand to be wrong.”

“Days?” Prompto says, pulling back a little, indignantly. “I’ve been crushing on you since seeing you in the arcade that first time. You know, after I got over the heart attack of being caught out of school by what looked like a truancy officer.”

Gladio barks a laugh, pushing the hand that is not gripping Prompto’s arm to his face. “Astrals, this is insane. I… gods, when I saw you that day, I instantly wanted you, too.”

“Are you kidding me?” Prompto scoffs. “So we could have been together this _whole_ time?”

“Probably not,” Gladio admits, releasing his face from his embarrassed grasp. “I was a little sketched out by our age difference.”

“Oh, but now it’s okay?” Prompto chuckles. “It’s the same amount of years.”

“I was convinced our life experience was a bit too different then,” Gladio explains. “When really, you’re far more experienced than I am. Turns out a little over two years isn’t much, at our ages.”

“Yeah, I should say so,” Prompto says, patting Gladio’s face a bit condescendingly. “I had already been having sex by then, sweetie.”

“Wha-” Gladio sputters.

“What do you think I was doing when my mom and dad weren’t home?” Prompto laughs. “I kind of went off the deep end when I got into high school; it was the first time in my life I felt hot and apparently other people thought so, too.”

“Wow,” Gladio says, feeling even more embarrassed at his lack of experience. “I have a lot of catching up to do.”

“Hmmm, like I told you,” Prompto says, caressing Gladio’s cheek. “It wasn’t all good. But it’s part of me. Is that okay?”

“Okay?” Gladio says, confused beyond belief. “Of course it’s okay. You were figuring stuff out. I was way too anxious to do that. If anything, I’m impressed at your courage.”

Prompto’s eyes widen, and there’s almost a sparkle in them. He surges forward and kisses Gladio fiercely, his arms tightening around Gladio’s neck, a hand buried in the larger man’s hair. Gladio can only hang on and try to return the kiss with the fervor of his own adoration.

Out of nowhere, Prompto pulls away and asks, “Did you actually have sex the other night?”

“Uh,” Gladio blinks, his face flushing. “Yeah. Not like- I mean, I was with someone, but we didn’t-”

“Were they good to you?” Prompto asks, his hands cupping Gladio’s cheeks, face full of worry.

“Yeah, they were. It was fine,” Gladio smiles, overjoyed that this kind soul cares for him. “But they… they weren’t you.”

Prompto tackles him, the splash of the water as they both hit the surface cascading in a shower over them as they hit the sand beneath them, the water just shallow enough that Gladio isn’t drowning as they furiously kiss. No longer gentle, only desperate, and a little possessive on Prompto’s part, as he lays on top of Gladio and claims his mouth over and over.

“Gladio,” Prompto pulls away, breathless, “I’m gonna make it so good for you, I promise.”

Gladio groans, rolling Prompto under him, their legs interlocking, his cock straining for Prompto’s touch, the blond just as eager.

Prompto slips a deft hand under the waistband of Gladio’s swimming trunks, reaching for the prize, and the contact shocks Gladio out of their kiss with a hiss of ecstasy.

“Oh, gods,” Prompto breathes, rolling them both onto their sides as he tests the length and girth of Gladio’s manhood. “Big Guy is right.”

Gladio groans, Prompto’s declaration a near match for the fantasy Gladio had concocted for himself in the shower the first time he’d gotten off to the thought of being with the blond. It was as though the gods themselves had created a perfect specimen for Gladio. Either that, or he was created in a lab, specifically to cater to Gladio’s every desire. Science or Magic, or probably, more likely, a bit of both.

Prompto’s hand teases the tip of Gladio’s cock and breaks his flight of fancy, the friction of the small hand drawing a bead of precome, hot as lava against his chilled skin. Gladio feels like he is on a hair trigger, and it’s a little embarrassing how quickly he’s ready to call his shot, as it were.

“Gods, I wish I had brought some condoms in my camping bag,” Prompto breathes, watching his work with a craned neck, trying to peer down Gladio’s trunks as his hand manipulates the heavy weight. “Though I suppose the ones I have wouldn’t do the trick.”

“Prom,” Gladio gasps, pleading. He’s going to erupt if Prompto keeps talking, and he’s desperate not to show how little control he has over his stamina at this point in his life.

“Gladio,” Prompto replies, looking up into the larger man’s strained expression, his purple-blue eyes shining devilishly. “When we get back to the house, I am going to take you inside me and ride you until my eyes roll back in my head-”

Gladio cries out, his dick pulsing with streams of come that dissipate in the water around them, Prompto’s hand confidently stroking him until there is nothing left inside him, including breath and thought. Gladio trembles in Prompto’s arms, his face pressed against the freckled column of Prom’s neck as he fights to breathe again. The water is almost too much against his heated skin, and his cock is agitated by the temperature. Despite all this, he is somehow able to recover, pressed close to the smaller man, the thrumming of Prompto’s heart against his ear.

Prompto’s dick is insistently poking Gladio in the stomach, but the blond makes no move to extricate himself from Gladio’s embrace.

With nervous hands, Gladio draws Prompto’s trunks down, the blush of his full member enticing. He grips the length, pleasantly surprised by the thickness. Prompto is fairly well endowed for his proportions, too.

Gladio wants to put his mouth on the pink tip, but he also doesn’t want to drown.

Somehow reading Gladio’s thoughts, Prompto smiles down at him and slips his fingers around both Gladio’s hand and his own arousal.

“Let’s save that for later,” Prompto says. “I don’t really want to get sand in my ass so we can move upshore and out of the water.”

Gladio laughs, husky and fond. “You’ve got such a way with words.”

“Seemed like you liked it just a minute ago,” Prompto teases.

Gladio shuts him up by surging forward to claim his chatty lips. They bite and lick at each other for several moments before Prompto is twisting in Gladio’s arms, putting his back and ass against Gladio’s front.

“Bite me,” Prompto asks, tilting his head to offer his neck. “Rub your beard all over me.”

“ _Fuck_ ,” Gladio breathes, and does as he is asked, his broad hand stroking Prompto’s cock with a sure and steady pace.

Prompto trembles under his attentions, his moans and gasps sending a flood of arousal to Gladio’s futilely twitching manhood. It’s too soon, but he is somewhat relieved that he can’t keep going, considering that Ignis and Noctis will return, and it could be any moment.

With that thought in mind, Gladio swipes his thumb over the slit of Prompto’s tip, the warmth of his spend leaking out as Prompto arches against Gladio, a sharp cry stifled behind his teeth.

“Come for me, Prom,” Gladio rasps, and bites down on the smooth neck pressed against his lips.

“Put your fingers in me,” Prompto begs, and Gladio’s cock gives a pulse, trying desperately to fill with that needy request.

Gladio pushes his free hand down between them, easing the plush flesh apart, seeking out the bud of Prompto’s entrance and finding it with the tip of his middle finger. He nudges it inside and Prompto gasps, a cry of “Yes!” on his lips as his hips snap and force more of the digit inside himself.

“Gods, Prom,” Gladio gasps, desperate to give Prompto everything he wants in this moment. His finger slips in and he adjusts the angle, bumping the small bundle of nerves inside, drawing a low groan from the blond.

“More,” Prompto begs. “I’m so close, Gladio-”

Gladio pulls his finger free and plunges both his middle and ring fingers inside, the thrust sure and hard, direct contact with the smaller man’s prostate. With a long groan, the warmth of Prompto’s orgasm spills into the water and spreads over Gladio’s broad hand as he milks the last of it out of him.

Gladio eases his hands away as Prompto pants for breath, his blond hair in disarray around him as one side of it floats in the shallow water, and the other half sticks to his sweaty, flushed face.

Gladio brushes his chin across a freckled shoulder and Prompto shudders with overstimulation, the blond laughing after the shaking subsides.

“My circuits are fried,” Prompto breathes, his limbs loose and limply trying to grab for Gladio’s head to bring him down into a kiss. Gladio is magnanimous and bends down to meet him, their lips gentle and reverent. Prompto rolls back onto his other side to face Gladio, wrapping now stronger arms around the larger man’s chest as he presses his face to a pectoral muscle. “I can’t wait to get you alone at the house,” Prompto sighs. “Because that was at least a twelve out of ten, and I didn’t even get your mouth on my cock.”

“Likewise,” Gladio says, chuckling. “This was at least twenty times better than the other night.”

Prompto scowls up at Gladio, a hint of humor on his face despite the pulled expression. “I should let you know, I’m a little possessive,” He warns. “So please refrain from mentioning that person to me ever again.”

“Fair enough,” Gladio nods, kissing him soundly. “They’re forgotten.”

“Okay,” Prompto says, wiggling. “I gotta pull up my shorts before Noct and Iggy come back and figure out what we’ve been doing while they were gone.”

“About that,” Gladio says, helping to drag the waistband up over his backside. “Are we going to mention anything to them?”

“Maybe not right away?” Prompto says, sitting up once his shorts are back in place. “I feel kinda scummy moving on from my long-term boyfriend so quickly.”

“You’ll get no judgement from me,” Gladio smiles. “But I understand. Even though I doubt Ignis or Noct will judge you either. They might just be a little surprised.”

“When we get home?” Prompto offers.

“Works for me,” Gladio smiles, leaning in to kiss him one more time before they have to keep it under wraps.

He could probably keep this secret forever, if Prompto wanted him to, just to be able to be with him at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _FINALLY_. we did it ya'll. we made it! ~(˘▽˘~) ♬♪♫ (~˘▽˘)~
> 
> There's more, of course, but I gotta celebrate because this entire part was the genesis of my idea - I wanted Gladio and Prom to get it on in the ocean (ok I know it moved to a freshwater pool inside an island _surrounded_ by the ocean, but still.)
> 
> Oh, and also: "Deep End" by Daughtry is a really great song for this chapter (and IMO one of the most romantic songs I've heard). Yes, I like Daughtry a little too much. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	13. holding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A tiny tent, a day of preparation, and a party.

As much as Gladio had teased Ignis and Noctis about making too much noise in their tent, _he_ is now in the position to have to keep it down, and Prompto is not making it easy for him. 

The tent is barely wide enough to accommodate the both of them, given Gladio’s width, not that he minds the close-contact. The result is that Prompto is playfully rubbing his shapely backside against Gladio’s crotch.

“I’m just getting comfortable, Big Guy,” Prompto whispers, smugly snuggling into the softness of his pillow as he rolls his hips again.

“Yeah,” Gladio whispers back, “I’m sure you are. Meanwhile, I’m getting _un_ comfortable. My shorts are only so stretchy.”

“Mmm, feel free to lose them if you have to,” Prompto says, a sly grin thrown over his shoulder at the larger man. “Don’t cling to your modesty on my account.”

“It’s going to be really difficult to keep this from the other guys if you’re going to bait me like this,” Gladio hisses, his hands gripping Prompto’s hips to stop him from continuing to drag his sumptuous flesh against Gladio’s insistent arousal.

“Gotta live on the edge, Hot Stuff,” Prompto chuckles into his pillow.

“Hmm, I can tell you’re going to be a bad influence on me,” Gladio presses a kiss to Prompto’s neck, his hands wandering to the front of the blond’s sleep shorts.

“Good,” Prompto breathes, once Gladio’s hand finds his shape through the fabric. “I can tell _you’re_ going to be a fast learner.”

Gladio bites him for the playful condescension, earning a partially stifled yelp from the smaller man. They both hold still, waiting to hear any response from the tent across the cavern, but nothing comes.

“Now who’s the trouble maker?” Prompto says, derisively.

“Turn around,” Gladio asks, the lowered volume of his voice rumbling deeply in his chest.

Prompto flips himself over quickly, his hands gripping the firm give of Gladio’s pecs and his leg thrown over Gladio’s thigh. He tries to roll them further, onto Gladio’s back, but there’s no room to do so.

“I wanna get on top of you,” Prompto whispers urgently. “Shift over.”

Gladio is more than willing to comply. Once he’s able to shuffle his hips the proper way, he’s laying flat on his back with Prompto straddling him, the smaller man’s knees barely hitting the blankets as his legs are spread around Gladio’s hips. The pressure of Prompto’s ass against his cock is delicious, and he arches into it.

“This tent is too fucking small,” Prompto whispers as he struggles to wrestle his shirt over his head. “How am I supposed to rock your world when I can barely get naked?”

“We don’t have to get too acrobatic,” Gladio chuckles quietly as he rolls his hips. “I’m happy to just take it slow for now.”

“I think that’s what we’ll have to settle for,” Prompto says with a sigh. “Which is a shame because I really want to suck your cock. But I think hanging halfway out of the tent might draw some notice if the guys have to get up to pee.”

Gladio laughs softly, then bites his lip, stifling a groan as Prompto’s mouth finds his nipple. “I want that, too, Prom, but we can get to that later. In a comfortable bed, preferably.”

“Fine,” Prompto huffs, pressing his bare chest to Gladio’s and capturing his mouth in a hungry kiss. “God, I love your tits. I wanna come all over them someday.”

“Titan’s Balls, Prom,” Gladio gasps, pressing the smaller man’s hips down to pin their cocks together. “If I knew you had a mouth like this on you, I wouldn’t have been able to sleep all week thinking about it.”

“Look, I know what I like, and I’m gonna tell you about it,” Prompto smiles, his fingers tugging at Gladio’s nipples as best he can from the angle that he can reach. “What about you? What do you wanna do to me?”

Gladio hesitates, a little uncomfortable with voicing his desires, considering he’s never had to do it before. He definitely has a list compiled, no doubt, but actually coming out and saying it…

“Do you want me to go again?” Prompto offers. “Because I also really want to ride your bare cock until you make a mess in me-”

Gladio presses his fingers over Prompto’s mouth, the throbbing of his manhood almost painful as Prompto graphically describes his fantasies… or perhaps, promises.

Fair is fair, Gladio supposes.

“What I really want to do to you,” Gladio smirks, “ _Right now_ , for example, is shut that pretty mouth of yours by filling it up.”

“Oh, hell yes, Gladio,” Prompto sighs as if he’s told him something terribly romantic rather than mildly antagonistic. “I want you to do that, too. What else?”

“I really, really want to press you down into a soft, comfortable bed and slide inside you, in one long, drawn out stroke, until you’re shivering around me, and I’m so deep you can feel me for days after.” Gladio says, brushing his lips across Prompto’s as he whispers, his hands busy, pressing fingers against the cleft of the smaller man’s ass.

“That sounds really fucking fantastic,” Prompto moans, pushing the front of his shorts down to free his cock, repeating the action with Gladio’s. “I wish we had some lube, but this is good, for now.”

“Here, let me do it,” Gladio offers, his hand much larger than Prompto’s and he grasps them both, stroking steadily between them. “Prom, fuck, you feel so good. If we only had this, it would be good enough for me.”

“Ah,” Prompto gasps. “Gladio, I’m gonna-”

“Yeah, me too,” Gladio tightens his grip and picks up his pace. His core is tingling with the approach of his climax, and as soon as Prompto shoves a fist in his own mouth to muffle his orgasm, Gladio bursts, too, gritting his teeth around the howl that wants to break free of his throat.

Prompto flops, exhausted, his weight much more substantial now that he’s not holding himself up, and Gladio groans with discomfort as their release spreads between them.

“Shit,” Gladio whispers. “We’re filthy now.”

“‘M pretty sure it’s just on our skin,” Prompto says, his face squished against Gladio’s chest. “We c’n go out to the waterfall and rinse off.”

“Fuck, it’s going to be freezing,” Gladio groans, his clean hand caressing Prompto’s shoulders. “We’re gonna have to huddle together for warmth when we get back inside, and then we’ll be in this same predicament again.”

Prompto huffs a tired laugh. “A sexy, vicious cycle.”

=||==========>

The rest of the night is spent actually _resting_ , though when they awaken they try to start something up - only for Ignis to begin puttering around the makeshift kitchen to begin cooking breakfast. They take a few minutes to cool down before coming out of the tent.

“Good morning, gentlemen,” Ignis greets them, and if he has noticed any odd sounds coming from their tent the night before, he doesn’t betray it.

“Princess still asleep?” Gladio asks with a smirk. “I’m surprised you haven’t dragged him out of there.”

“I wanted to have a moment to speak with you both before he awoke,” Ignis says, setting up his tools.

Gladio is a little on edge, now, and he’s gotta hand it to Ignis, rather than a snide side comment, he’s going to make his grievances about their night-time activities sound _official_.

“Tomorrow is, of course, Noctis’s birthday,” The adviser continues, and Gladio breathes a sigh of relief, and can feel Prompto relaxing beside him. “We will be heading back to Altissia for the ‘official’ celebration, but I want to spend this evening with him celebrating with just the four of us.”

“Oh, hell yeah, Iggy,” Prompto smiles, his posture much more energetic now that he knows they haven’t been found out. “That’s a great idea.”

“I wonder if you two would do me the favor of gathering some supplies,” Ignis hands Prompto a list of various items including snacks and some choice alcoholic beverages. “I will spend the day with him as usual and he will be none the wiser.”

“Yeah, happy to,” Gladio smiles. “He’s gonna be so surprised.”

“I will keep him away from the house if you two would be so kind as to set things up,” Ignis asks, further. “I will take care of the evening meal; I’m having some rather fancy items sent over from a caterer that I made contact with in Altissia when we were out earlier this week.”

“Nice,” Prompto says, excited. “I can’t wait to see his face.”

“Indeed,” Ignis smiles, bright and loving. “Now I’m going to start up breakfast and once he’s up and about we shall take our leave for the remainder of the day. I expect we’ll return at around five in the evening for dinner. The caterer will set up all of the items for that, so you two won’t need to worry about plating and everything.”

“Cool,” Gladio smiles. “‘Cause I don't’ know anything about that.”

“We got this, Iggy,” Prompto promises.

=||==========>

It’s a bit of a tall order, to be honest, because both Prompto and Gladio know how exacting Ignis can be, but luckily he is thorough with his list of items and they are able to find everything. Prompto adds a bit of his own flair to the celebration with some tacky decorations, but he uses them only for the construction of a “birthday boy” chair so as not to threaten the vein in Ignis’s forehead that likes to make an appearance when things aren’t going to plan.

Gladio is having his own issues with how desperately he wants to simply spend time alone with Prompto in a far more intimate setting. While they’re out, he makes sure to buy some supplies for later that night when they’re finally alone in either of their bedrooms.

He feels a little guilty focusing on that, but it’s a bit difficult to think of anything else with Prompto holding his hand and smiling up at him all afternoon.

They break for lunch, burdened with at least six bags of items between them. They choose the cafe that they had visited on their initial visit, preferring something light to eat so that they will have their appetites for dinner that night.

They’re holding hands over the table when their server arrives, and it’s the same young woman from last week. It’s almost a little embarrassing that her comment ended up being a prediction, but at the same time Gladio isn’t all that ashamed. He’d wanted this then, and now he has it.

They order, and the server doesn’t comment, possibly mortified into silence by her earlier gaff. When they leave, Gladio pays, but Prompto leaves the poor girl a generous tip before they walk off arm in arm, juggling all of their bags as they make their way back to the house.

=||==========>

Setting up the party proves difficult because Gladio’s focus is severely impaired just by Prompto’s proximity and the adorable enthusiasm he has for making Noct’s surprise party fun. Gladio tries to concentrate on arranging the various snacks in pleasing ways (mostly motivated by the imagined look on Ignis’s face if he manages to do it well), but Prompto’s bopping around to the dance music playing on his phone is just a _bit_ distracting.

The birthday boy chair is a garish monstrosity, just the way Prompto had planned, and once it is finished, it’s just about time for the caterers to arrive.

Gladio pulls Prompto into a long, yearning kiss when they’re satisfied with their work, his hands roaming the shape of his slim figure through his loose fitting shirt, down to the generous swell of his backside in his coeurl-print pants. Pushing his fingers into the back pockets of Prompto’s jeans, Gladio breaks the kiss with a hazy, pleased smile.

“I can’t believe I get to do this,” Gladio says against Prompto’s lips.

“ _You_ can’t believe?” Prompto scoffs. “If I went back in time to that night after meeting you at the arcade and told myself we’d be here, I probably would have dropped dead.”

“Well, let’s be careful about time-travelling, then,” Gladio laughs. “If you kill that you, you’ll never become this you. And then we won’t have gotten here.”

“Shut up about science fiction and kiss me, Gladio,” Prompto throws his arms around Gladio’s neck, standing on tiptoe to reach Gladio’s mouth.

It’s tempting to carry Prompto to the couch and take things further, but the doorbell rings and they’re forced to let the caterers inside to do their work in the kitchen.

It’s a bit awkward sitting in the living room while a group of strangers moves around in the room nearby, but Gladio doesn’t trust himself _or_ Prompto to behave if they go upstairs.

Instead they chat quietly about their plans for the rest of their vacation before the trip back to Insomnia, and before they know it the caterers take their leave.

Gladio’s phone chirps, and he finds a message from Ignis.

 **The Brains:** We will be arriving shortly. I trust everything is in order?  
 **The Bod:** You know it. Caterers just left, Prom and I were ready just before they came.  
 **The Brains:** Wonderful. See you soon.

Prompto smirks, reading over Gladio’s shoulder. “If you’re ‘The Bod’ and Iggy’s ‘The Brains’, what are Noctis and I?”

“Noct is ‘The Baby’,” Gladio answers, smiling.

“I’m the youngest,” Prompto objects, leaning his head against Gladio’s arm.

“Yeah, well, he acts like it,” Gladio insists.

“Annnnnd?” Prompto prods. “What’s my name?”

“Blondie,” Gladio shrugs. “Not particularly ingenious, but it works.”

“Aw,” Prompto’s bottom lip sticks out dramatically. “I was hoping it would be “The Bad Boy”.”

“Prom,” Gladio laughs, tickling him slightly under his chin and earning a giggle, “I adore you, but please, have a little self awareness.”

Prompto doesn’t look offended at all, rather the opposite. Gladio thinks maybe he can see stars sparkling in his eyes.

“Quick, kiss me before the guys get back,” Prompto demands, and Gladio barely leans forward to comply before he is tackled onto the sofa. “I adore you, too, Big Guy.”

=||==========>

The party is a success, and to Gladio’s surprise, Ignis offers him compliments for the setup, and declines to comment about the “Birthday Boy Chair”. Prompto is right; Ignis really has chilled. Noctis is appropriately stunned as well as happy, and dinner is exquisite. They drink and laugh and even dance a little when the alcohol kicks in, which puts Prompto and Gladio into an awkward position whenever Ignis’s playlist lands on a slow song. Their desire to sway together like their friends are able to is overwhelming.

Ignis insists that they must end the evening at a decent hour, since they are being picked up somewhat early in the morning to make their way to Altissia to be groomed and dressed for Noctis’s official celebration. The two of them bid Gladio and Prompto a good night at eleven in the evening, and only moments later the sounds of their own _private_ celebration drift out to the living area where Gladio and Prompto are finally getting their chance to slow dance together.

“Well, that’s a mood killer,” Gladio murmurs, an awkward laugh on his breath. His head lays atop Prompto’s fluffy blond hair as they rock slowly together to the music, his arms enfolding the smaller man in a tender embrace, on hand on Prompto’s neck, and one on his hip.

“Well, can you really blame them?” Prompto smiles into Gladio’s chest. “It really was terribly sweet for Ignis to cook all this up.”

“Sure,” Gladio says, sifting his fingers through Prompto’s locks. “But being able to hear them makes me feel like a creep.”

“We could take their lead and go make some noises of our own,” Prompto looks up at Gladio with a smirk, and Gladio is more than ready to go.

“Great idea, Prom,” He nods, pulling away to lead him up the stone steps hand-in-hand. “Your room or mine?”

“I’ve gotten used to yours,” Prompto laughs, and Gladio suspects he doesn’t want to have sex in the same bed he did with Certus. It’s fine with Gladio, fine if Prompto never goes back there for the rest of their vacation. At least, not without Gladio.

They arrive at the top of the stairs and Gladio picks Prompto up by the hips, presses their mouths together as the smaller man’s thighs wrap around him, and carries Prompto the rest of the way to his room.

“Gladio,” Prompto sighs, “Gods, you can’t imagine how many times I’ve thought about this.”

“I might be able to,” Gladio breathes against his wet, pink lips.

“Let me make you feel good,” Prompto insists, dropping back down to his feet and pushing Gladio toward the bed. He lands on it width-wise, legs hanging off the side as his back hits the pillows leaned against the wall. Prompto kneels, working Gladio’s pants open, and then off over his strong legs, dragging his underwear down with them.

Gladio brushes a warm hand through Prompto’s hair as he kisses up Gladio’s inner thighs, nipping here and there with gentle teeth. It’s going straight to Gladio’s cock, and by the time Prompto is licking a stripe up the underside, he’s fully hard and aching.

“Mmm,” Prompto moans, tongue swirling around the head. He places a kiss to the tip. “Honestly, Gladio, this is a _beautiful_ cock.” His hands tease at the base while he mouths at the remaining length, and Gladio is hypnotized by the flutter of lashes as Prompto’s purple-blue eyes keep determined contact with his own. The blond nuzzles his manhood, rubbing it against his cheek and nose before dragging his hot tongue over it and fitting his open mouth around the girth.

“Ah-” Gladio is not ready for the molten, wet heat of Prompto’s mouth, nor the expertise at which he is sucked and stroked and dragged to the edge of orgasm so quickly. “You’re too good at that, Prom, c’mere-”

Prompto backs off, but not without a last lick to his leaking slit, and Gladio gasps, earning a devilish grin from the smaller man. With a swift hand, Prompto loses his bottoms and climbs up to lay atop Gladio’s firm body, spread wide by Gladio’s open legs as he straddles the larger man.

“I really hope you’re ready to bury this thing inside me,” Prompto says, reaching behind himself to press Gladio’s aching arousal between the cheeks of his ass.

“Gods,” Gladio breathes, pressing ravenous open mouthed kisses all over Prompto’s neck and collarbone. “I think the question is are _you_ ready?”

“Oh, I will be, very quickly,” Prompto says. “When I was in the bathroom earlier, I was getting prepared. But I still want you to do a little work back here.” Prompto pulls one of Gladio’s hands back to the ring of muscle teasing up and down the Shield’s member.

Gladio grabs the bottle of lube he purchased earlier in the day and slicks his fingers hurriedly, Prompto’s sweet titter of laughter causing him to blush a bit. The embarrassment is tempered when Prompto kisses him deeply, the anxiety of his inexperience melting away with the loving, comfortable encouragement of his partner.

With a little guidance from Prompto, Gladio works him open with both hands, fingers easing inside him and pulling intoxicating noises from his throat. Gladio is dripping by the time Prompto shifts backward, capturing the tip of Gladio’s cock with his relaxed entrance, and Gladio lets him sink slowly over him, the fit tight and hot. With a long groan, Prompto is seated fully on Gladio’s lap, and Gladio has to breathe around the surge of his need to move.

“Ah,” Prompto heaves a breath, holding still, too. “Feels bigger than it looks-”

Gladio’s hips thrust up into the heat, just slightly, out of his control, and Prompto yelps with unexpected pleasure.

“We didn’t-” Gladio tries, holding Prompto’s hips still. “We forgot-”

“It’s okay,” Prompto exhales, his hands gripping Gladio’s pecs. “This way, it’ll be my first time, too… having someone come inside me.”

Gladio surges, pulling Prompto down into a hard, urgent kiss, and then they’re moving together, the bounce of Prompto’s ass on Gladio’s thighs echoing in the otherwise silent room. They’re too active to continue the kiss, and Prompto is _loud_ ; louder than he’d been with Certus just across the wall, louder than Gladio can imagine will keep their secret from the others. But he doesn’t care, he wants to hear more, and never stop.

“Gladio,” Prompto gasps, riding the furious pace of the larger man’s hips. “I want you to fuck me from behind - let me get on the bed-”

Gladio growls, but allows Prompto to lift himself off and scramble onto all fours on the bed as he takes position behind the blond. Re-entry is smooth and just as overwhelming as the first time, and Gladio feels more free to move now that he isn’t pinned down by Prompto’s weight, as insignificant as it had been. He rakes fingernails down Prompto’s back, a raspy cry of pleasure ripping through the blond as he takes up their previous pace. The angle is different and it’s definitely even more pleasurable for Prompto, who is practically screaming his enjoyment into the pillows below him, thankfully slightly muffled.

“Gladio, oh, fuck-” Prompto gasps. “Don’t stop, you’re hitting it just right-”

Gladio can no longer hang on, begins pumping his hips with a fury, a rush to completion, and he reaches down for Prompto’s dick, stroking a big hand over the head before tugging the length. The blond’s voice breaks as he comes, his inner walls choking Gladio as he rides the vice-like grip of his passage to his own orgasm, emptying himself into Prompto with a rough cry.

Prompto is completely limp against the bed, and Gladio twitches a few more times inside him as he holds his weight off of the smaller man. With shaky arms, Gladio eases himself out of Prompto and falls to the side of him, rubbing a comforting hand over his freckled shoulders as they both lay spent.

Suddenly, Prompto’s energy returns, and he flips himself onto his side to press more kisses to Gladio’s mouth and face.

“Damn,” Prompto breathes a laugh. “Better than I imagined, even.”

“No kidding,” Gladio agrees. “I’m glad I saved that for you.”

“Bit of a shame you don't have a basis for comparison, though,” Prompto smiles smugly. “I’m kidding. I’m glad I haven’t had to share that with anyone else.”

“You sure you’re okay with not using protection?” Gladio asks, brushing a hand through Prompto’s hair. “I’m sorry I didn’t insist.”

“I’m sure,” Prompto assures him. “Though it is kinda… uncomfortable, now.”

“Shower?” Gladio offers, smiling fondly. “I’ll help clean you up.”

“I’m not sure that’s true,” Prompto returns the expression. “But that’s alright with me.”

It’s a little while before they’re done in the shower, and by that point, Ignis’s suggestion of getting a decent night’s sleep is out the window. They end up stripping Gladio’s soiled sheets from the bed and sleeping in Prompto’s for the rest of the evening, and it’s the best few hours of sleep Gladio’s had in days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delayed chapter! Apparently 13 was an unlucky number for this fic. XD Hopefully the next two will flow a little easier for me. 人(_ _*)


	14. reveling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three surprises.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one took so long! I began to doubt the direction I'd written, so I took a mini-hiatus to brush out the cobwebs and do a few experimental one-shots. It seems to have done the trick.

It’s a bit of a rude awakening when there is a knock on Prompto’s door at the crack of dawn, and both Gladio and Prompto blearily blink their eyes open as they try to get their bearings.

“Prompto?” Noctis’s voice is muffled behind the door. “Hey, it’s time to get up, Iggy’s getting breakfast together and he wants us ready to leave in like forty-five minutes.”

“Alright, Noct,” Prompto calls back. “Be down in a minute.”

“Get Gladio up, too okay?” Noctis says, Prompto and Gladio both exchanging a look of anxiety, their secret already found out after only two days. “I don’t even wanna knock on his door, he’s always grumpy when he doesn’t get himself out of bed.”

They breathe a sigh of relief. “Yeah, I got him,” Prompto promises. “See you downstairs.”

Gladio rubs both hands over his face as he processes the alleviation of his anxiety, still trying to sort through his exhaustion before rolling out of Prompto’s bed.

“I’m not ready for today,” Gladio grunts, sitting up. “Do you think I could get a nap in on the way to Altissia?”

“If Iggy’s distracted enough,” Prompto says, quietly laughing. “I’ll get Noct to keep him occupied so we can grab a little shut-eye.”

Gladio smiles down at Prompto still laying against his pillows and pushes a fond hand through his hair, the fluffy softness smoothing back neatly despite the fact he went to bed with it wet.

“It’s going to be hard keeping my hands to myself today,” Gladio says, low and wanting already. “I can’t imagine what kind of suit they’ve cooked up for you to wear.”

“I look ridiculous in it,” Prompto buries his face in the pillow. “It’s so fancy. I totally don’t look like I belong.”

“I’ll be the judge of that,” Gladio smiles, leaning down to unearth his face and kiss him soundly. “I’m gonna go get dressed. Meet you downstairs in five?”

“Yeah,” Prompto sighs, still sleepy. “Wait.” He pulls Gladio’s arm just as he moves to rise from the bed. “C’mere.”

“Yes?” Gladio says, and is drawn down again, their legs twining together as Prompto lazily kisses him breathless. It’s a soft, languid press of lips and tongue, and Gladio groans, wanting to lose himself completely in it and stay in bed all day. He knows that if he doesn’t get moving, the next person to come upstairs will be Ignis, and they will regret that for the rest of their natural lives. “You’re here to tempt me down the wrong path, aren’t you?”

“Hmm,” Prompto hums, dreamily. “Who is to say which is the wrong or right path?”

“I’d say the wrong one ends with Ignis chopping us up into little pieces and serving us to the Accordan dignitaries.”

“I guess,” Prompto smiles. “Alright, go on. I just wanted one last kiss before we have to spend hours and hours being ‘professional’.”

“Our lives really _are_ unfair,” Gladio grins, slipping from the bed for real.

=||==========>

The procession to Altissia is a bit more overwrought than Gladio had been expecting; Noctis and Ignis ride in the frontmost boat with Regis and Clarus, with Gladio and Prompto taking up the rear, representing their positions as those that watch the backs of the Prince. Therefore, Gladio is not able to rest as he hoped; he and Prompto are responsible for the image of the Royal Entourage.

It affords them a bit of privacy, however, to flirt a bit, without getting too physically affectionate, of course.

Arrival in Altissia has them going their separate ways; Noctis and Regis are led to their suite to be dressed and styled, while Ignis and Prompto are led off on their own, leaving Gladio to go along with his father.

“Your hair,” Clarus comments, once they’re alone in their suite. “It’s certainly different than I’ve ever seen you wear.”

“Yeah,” Gladio answers, not daring to look his father in the eye, lest he be pressured into guilt about it. “I wanted to try something new.”

“It’s fun,” Clarus says, and Gladio blinks up in surprise. “I’m glad to see you’ve had a bit of time to branch out on your own, Gladiolus.”

“Uh,” Gladio nods. “Thank you, sir.”

“How has the time away from Insomnia been?” Clarus asks, and it’s almost unreal that his father is showing genuine interest in Gladio’s affairs. Generally, their relationship has been almost more like a Commander and his subordinate, ever since he had hit puberty. It’s a little dizzying to respond to his father’s questions as though they are comfortably father and son.

“It’s been great,” Gladio answers, less candidly than he might answer if it were Noct or Ignis asking. “I really have learned a lot here. I’m excited to move on to Tenebrae and learn more.”

“That’s wonderful,” Clarus smiles, and Gladio’s world is turning upside down. His father hasn’t been this warm to him in years. “I’m glad you were able to handle the responsibility. I knew you could. Regis is quite impressed by the praise you’ve received from Secretary Claustra. He’s got high hopes for you in the Imperial- excuse me, the Tenebraen Continent.”

“I-I’m glad I could be of service,” Gladio says, still not sure how to address this pride his father is now openly displaying, nor the words of recognition from the Secretary. “I want to be useful to Prince Noctis when he ascends to the throne.”

“I know you will, Gladiolus,” Clarus nods, and puts both hands on Gladio’s shoulders. “All these years, I’ve been pushing you into a role of physical skill, and you surpassed my expectations. Now, you’re even thriving in the political world. I hope you know that I am proud of you.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Gladio says, automatically, but his mind still hasn’t truly processed that his father could be so emotionally open. He felt a little bit like Ignis and Noct had when Gladio had expressed his fondness for them the week before; he wonders if his father is ill.

Perhaps the distance has made his father miss him, as it had made Gladio miss his friends. They are no longer taking for granted their closeness, and feel the need to express their appreciation for the relationships they had allowed to turn cold or perfunctory.

“Dad,” Gladio begins, desperately wanting to return his father’s sentiment, “Thanks for getting me here. I know we’ve butted heads in the past, but… truly. I’m glad to have become the person I am, and it’s thanks to you.”

“Hmm,” Clarus thinks, with a smile, before responding. “I think maybe your mother had a bit to do with it, too. She always had such a warm heart, and she passed it onto you and your sister.”

“Yeah,” Gladio nods, his heart sore with thoughts of his mother. She had passed when he was fifteen, and the wound still ached.

“Now then,” Clarus says, and Gladio looks up just in time to see him rub at one eye. “Let’s get ready. Are you happy with your suit?”

“It’s not what I’d choose for myself, but I gotta say, I like it,” Gladio smiles.

=||==========>

Gladio’s hair is styled conservatively for the cut, slicked back and held in place with product, a few strands of the front sweeping to the side. His beard is trimmed neatly and it makes him look older, somehow, than the wild stubble he usually sports.

The suit he is given is mostly black, but with a long purple neck tie adorned with the Crest of Lucis in gold, as well as a gold and purple brocade-patterned pocket square sticking neatly out of his breast pocket. The tails on his coat are a bit much, but the cut is actually quite flattering despite them.

Gladio is dying to see what Prompto’s formal wear looks like, and how well it fits his sleek frame. He wonders if later tonight he will be able to pull it off of him, piece by piece.

He doesn’t have long to imagine it for long, as Ignis calls Gladio to Noctis’s room so the four of them can meet up and go over their _literal_ marching orders.

Gladio’s stiff new shoes click as he makes his way across the mansion to the Royal suite, the marble floor pristine and beautiful. He knocks on the elaborate door and Ignis ushers him inside in an emerald green variant of Gladio’s suit.. It’s exceptional on Ignis’s long, lean frame, and Gladio thinks that it is a rather wonderful compliment to his own outfit. It truly makes them look like two halves of a whole; Noctis’s right and left hands.

His mind tries to supply Prompto’s suit as he makes his way into the sitting area, and then he doesn’t have to wonder any longer. Prompto is similarly in all black, but he’s removed his coat for the time being, his lithe frame buttoned up in a brocade-patterned, deep maroon waistcoat, snugly fitting his form in tantalizing ways, and Gladio’s throat runs dry.

Prompto’s gaze is equally complementary, and Gladio really, really wishes they didn’t have to keep their budding romance a secret, because all he wants to do is tell this beautiful man just how gorgeous he really is. 

“All right, gentlemen,” Ignis begins. “Noctis and his father will of course be leading the procession, with Clarus and Gladio taking point on either side of their Kings.”

Gladio is a bit surprised by that, given his position in the procession earlier that day.

“Prompto and I will follow behind, and after that there will be a delegation of individuals from Accordo, being the host country for the festivities.” Ignis scrolls down on his phone, relating the information to the three of them. “After that, the Tenebraen party will follow; Princess Lunafreya Nox Fleuret flanked by her brother Ravus, and her adviser, Gentiana. Lastly, there will be a small delegation from New Gralea, just a few of the Council and their own bodyguards.”

“This is ridiculous,” Noctis sighs. “As if all of these people have any interest in my birthday. It’s such a bogus formality.”

“It is of course of their interest, Highness,” Ignis insists, using his _official_ voice. “You are the next leader of one of the most powerful nations on Eos. If we are to remain peaceful, we all must show an interest in the leaders of our brothers and sisters across the globe.”

“Thank the gods we’ve got you, Iggy,” Gladio laughs gently. “Might as well crown you the next King, since you’ll be the one doing all of the heavy lifting.”

“That’s your job, Gladio,” Noctis smirks.

“It’s cool that Lunafreya is here!” Prompto says, cheerfully. “I’m dying to meet her.”

“Yeah, it’ll be great seeing Luna again,” Noctis grins. “I haven’t seen her since I was like, fourteen? Ignis, when did we last go to Tenebrae?”

“Fifteen, Your Highness,” Ignis replies, and it weirds Gladio out that he’s acting so formal, with the four of them alone in the room.

“Noctis,” Regis’s voice cuts through the casual atmosphere with a soft smile. “It’s time to get into positions.”

=||==========>

The parade is ostentatious and the decor is gaudy, but the party is really something. Once all of the formalities have been dispensed, the Accordan officials kick off the fun with a loud fireworks display and after that, the liquor is flowing.

Gladio has spent most of the afternoon dodging various girls from Tenebrae, all small and blonde and forward, and he is now looking for the small blond whose company he enjoys the most.

Across the courtyard he sees a flip of blond hair and a black coat, and makes his way to finally sneak in some alone time, if he can secure a quiet spot for them to _chat_.

“Prom,” Gladio’s hand slides over a strong shoulder and the face that whips around to glare at him is the same, but the manner is all wrong.

“Remove your hand from me, please,” The young man says, and it’s the spitting image of Gladio’s beloved, only with a much darker, rougher edge to his voice and a less pronounced style to his hair. Looking down on the man, his clothing is all different under the dark jacket.

“Uh,” Gladio says, stupidly, too dumbfounded to explain himself. “Sorry, I-”

“Gladio!” Prompto’s familiar voice calls out from behind them, near the drinks table, and Gladio’s head whips back and forth between the stranger and his lover, and he still can’t parse what's happening.

“Excuse me,” Says the doppleganger, looking with disgust over at his match before leaving.

Prompto has made his way to Gladio in the meantime, and is holding him steady with both hands. “Hey, Big Guy? It’s okay, let me explain.”

Gladio’s knowledge is already supplying him an answer. He has read about the clone army of Gralea, but has never seen them before. For whatever reason, their likenesses have been excised from all of the books on the subject, though now, he supposes, that was for their protection more than anything. If everyone knew what they looked like, they might face prejudice. Especially… one that lives among the Lucian citizens.

“He’s-” 

“Yeah,” Prompto nods, sadly. “Want to come with me? I found a little alcove we can talk in.”

“Sure,” Gladio is still unsettled. “Did you know?”

“That I’m one of them?” Prompto asks as they slip behind a pillar in the gardens. “Yeah.” He lifts his sleeve and underneath the black shirt is an odd bar-code printed in the skin of his wrist; the wrist he’s always covered up with bracelets or other adornments. “I’ve had it since I was a baby. Mom and Dad always told me to hide it, and then a couple of years ago I kinda figured it out after we learned about them in Social Sciences. My parents confirmed my suspicion.”

“Wait…” Gladio’s brain is piecing everything together, now, as though Prompto’s revelation is a keystone. “Fifteen years ago-”

“Two Lucian spies rescued a baby from the Gralean laboratories,” Prompto nods. “Yeah, Gladio. It was me. Mom and Dad are the spies. They’re the ones that helped the revolution take back the Imperial Capital for the people.”

“Holy Six,” Gladio blinks, his hands exploring Prompto’s shoulders. “You’re- you were the catalyst. Of everything!”

“Not everything,” Prompto blushes and looks away. “If the Founder King hadn’t also turned on Besithia, there would have been nothing Lucis could do to fight the army he’d raised up.”

“This is crazy,” Gladio breathes, cupping Prompto’s face in both hands. “Are you- are you okay with seeing him here? Did anyone tell you he would be here?”

“Yes, I’m okay,” Prompto smiles, holding on to the lapels of Gladio’s suit coat and smiling a bit sadly. “And no, I didn’t know he’d be here. My brothers - they’ve all gone on to do whatever they wanted, or could, since the death of our father. He’s a bodyguard to one of the New Graleans.”

“I still can’t believe this,” Gladio says, thumb brushing Prompto’s cheek, his brilliant purple eyes closing as he leans into the touch. “I can’t believe you’re the one they brought to Lucis.”

“I’m just me,” Prompto laughs. “Just the goofy nerd you saw playing video games in the middle of the school day. Maybe a little hotter than then, but still. Big ol’ dork.”

Gladio laughs and pulls him in close. “Yeah, that you are.”

He doesn’t care if they’re supposed to be a secret, and he doesn’t care if anyone sees him kissing Prompto in the middle of a Royal birthday celebration. Prompto doesn’t seem to care, either.

=||==========>

When they return to the crowd in the courtyard, they make their way to Noctis, who is surrounded by Lunafreya, Ignis, Ravus and Gentiana.

“Highnesses,” Gladio bows to the Tenebraen Royals. “Gentiana.” He nods to the strange and beautiful adviser, who returns the gesture. “How was your journey?”

“Gladio, I hope all this study hasn’t shoved your brain into a box of formality,” Lunafreya pouts at him. “It’s been ages, come give me a hug.”

Gladio smiles and does as he’s asked, even moves on to give Ravus a semi-awkward brotherly side-hug. “What’s the good word? How are things in Tenebrae? I’m gonna be there in just over a month, so I hope the weather is going to hold out a bit before the nine months of winter.”

“I’ll try to see what I can do,” Gentiana replies with a smirk, her lilting accent on the edge of sincerity and sarcasm.

“We were all just talking about you two,” Luna says, pointing a finger between Gladio and Prompto. “I must say, it’s awfully cute the double dating going on between the four of you boys.”

“Huh?” Gladio blinks, looking down at Prompto, who is blushing a shade of red to match his waistcoat. “Wh-what do you mean, Luna?”

“She saw you kissing,” Noctis drawls before sipping his drink. “I confirmed for her.”

“How exactly would you do that, Noct?” Gladio growls through his teeth.

“Gladiolus,” Ignis begins, crossing his arms in front of himself. “We may have been a bit tipsy last night, but that definitely could not stop us from overhearing your rather enthusiastic activities.”

Gladio presses his lips together to keep from saying anything more embarrassing and looks to his new lover for support, only to find Prompto looking like he would rather melt through the ground.

“Prom, let’s take a walk,” Gladio says, ushering him away from the group.

“Don’t do anything too scandalous, please,” Ignis suggests as they make their hasty exit. Luna’s musical laughter follows them through the garden as they seek out another quiet but not-so-private spot.

“Well,” Prompto starts, his color returning to normal. “That was probably the worst first impression I could give the Princess.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Gladio soothes him, a comforting hand on his back. “Luna is a kind soul, but she also loves to tease. I’m sure she’s heard enough about you from Noct to already have an impression of you.”

“Let’s hope so-” Prompto sighs.

“Gladiolus,” Clarus calls from nearby and makes his way over to them.

Gladio freezes, his hand on Prompto stiffening with surprise and nerves. His father is smiling as he approaches, and both Gladio and Prompto nod a slight bow to their superior, but Clarus laughs and waves it off.

“This celebration may be official business,” Clarus begins, extending his hand to Prompto in greeting, which Prompto takes. “But it is still a party. Prompto Argentum, is it? I’m glad to finally meet you. You’re beginning the Crownsguard training this fall, correct?”

“Yes, sir,” Prompto answers, a bit nervously.

“Wonderful!” Clarus beams. “Your parents were some of the best trainees in my squad when we were growing up. I expect great things from you, son.”

Prompto nods, definitely intimidated and burdened by expectation. Gladio can relate.

“Dad, don’t put too much pressure on him,” Gladio tries to help.

“Nonsense, Gladiolus,” Clarus chuckles. “I can only assume the best of an Argentum, and especially one that was chosen by my own son as a partner.”

Gladio chokes and Prompto straightens his posture. “D-dad-”

“Gladiolus, if you wished to keep your relationship a secret, you’re going to have to train out that look of adoration in your eyes whenever you look at this young man.”

Prompto smiles up at Gladio, his eyes shimmering with joy. “I like your dad, Gladio.”

Clarus guffaws, patting Prompto roughly on the back. “Good man. Oh, I think something is happening-” Gladio looks behind him as his father turns his attention to the gathering they had just left.

Noctis has climbed up onto the small stone dais in the center of the garden, where various people had given speeches in honor of Noctis’s birthday earlier on in the celebration.

“I want to thank the people of Accordo for welcoming myself, my family and my friends to celebrate my coming of age,” Noctis says into the microphone, uncharacteristically diplomatic. Gladio wonders how long he has been practicing this speech, considering he hasn’t seen Noctis much in the last week or so. “With age comes responsibility, and with new responsibility comes new challenges. I am honored to work toward the goal of a peaceful Eos, and I hope that you all will join me in this journey.”

The crowd claps, a resounding affirmation that the new lands of Eos are all onboard with keeping the peace amongst them, at least for now.

“This work will not be easy, nor will it be possible without trusted partners and family,” Noctis continues. “With this in mind, I would like to acknowledge the person in my life that makes me a better man, and hopefully, a better leader. Ignis?”

Gladio wishes he had urged Prompto to bring his camera, just to capture the look on Ignis Scientia’s face as he’s called up to the dias, completely unscripted. Luckily, there are about five official photographers around capturing the moment, so Gladio has a chance of snagging the appropriate image later.

“Ignis Scientia is the scion of a long-trusted family to the Crown, and has been my friend and adviser my entire life,” Noctis explains for those of the other countries that do not have an intimate knowledge of all of the Crown’s various entrusted allies.

Noctis then surprises the entire gathering, Ignis included, by getting down on one knee in front of his adviser and pulling out a velvet ring box from his jacket. A pleased gasp rolls through the audience, and Gladio feels Prompto’s hand grip his arm, though the larger man cannot tear his eyes away for anything.

“Ignis, I hope that you will do me the honor of being my partner in life as well as in caring for the people of Insomnia and all of Eos,” Noctis smiles up at him with a glint of mischief in his grey-blue eyes, and Gladio is extremely impressed at this ridiculously grand gesture that is undoubtedly making Ignis’s vein pop out of his temple. “Will you do me the honor of joining the Lucis Caelum family?”

Ignis, to his credit, is the picture of grace and reservation, though Gladio knows just what kind of embarrassed storm is raging inside him. In his placid expression, Gladio can see the hints of barely restrained joy shining through.

“It would be the honor of a lifetime, Highness,” Ignis responds, and the silence that had descended upon the crowd erupts in a cacophony of cheering and clapping. Noctis stands and slips the ring on his fiance’s finger, and presses a very informal kiss to Ignis’s lips as the gathering celebrates.

Gladio, whose eyes had been glued to the proceedings, looks down at his own partner, and breaks into a wide grin at the hastily wiped tears and firm grip tugging at his jacket.

Caring not one whit about the opinion of the already distracted crowd of strangers, Gladio pulls Prompto close and grins down at the surprise written across his features before leaning in with a passionate kiss of his own. Surely, if the greater population of delegates and royals can approve of their young prince’s marriage to a commoner, they will have no objection to a similar love for their King’s junior Shield.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always intended this showy engagement because I thought it would be cute and dramatic of Noctis.
> 
> I didn't intend for Clarus to have the proud conversation with Gladio but because this ended up sort of leaning toward men becoming emotionally available, I wanted to go with it.
> 
> The introduction of the not!Prompto was also something new to the idea, but I had intended Gladio to find out earlier in the fic (one of the books he was supposed to buy at the shop was a Verstael Besithia biography, and there was going to be a picture of him in his youth inside, etc.) that his partner was an important figure in the new-ish history of this different Eos. Maybe it's a little shoehorned in worldbuilding, but I like it, so it stayed.
> 
> Next chapter is the end! Hopefully I won't have to take another break. :)


	15. bonding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One last night in paradise, and one night in Insomnia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to TurnipKeep for help with this last bit in Accordo. I was stumped and her suggestions were invaluable.

Laying in bed, the evening before they are to return to Insomnia, Gladio begins to ache thinking about the amount of time he and Prompto will have to be apart, once he moves on to Tenebrae. Prompto’s weight in his arms, his gentle smile and silly jokes, his shimmering eyes and open affection... their absence will be a gaping void in his life for at least a year.

“You’re worrying too much,” Prompto says, sleepily, reading Gladio’s thoughts in his tenseness, even as they are comfortably twined together. “It’s going suck, but also, it’s going to be okay.”

“I know it will be _okay_ ,” Gladio breathes, feeling defeated. “It’s not going to be _great_ , not like this.”

“I’m not going to give you a chance to miss me, Big Guy,” Prompto promises, and Gladio swears he can feel the press of a smile against his chest. “In fact, you’re more likely to get annoyed with me and move on to someone in Tenebrae. Ravus, maybe? He looks like he could grab your interest.”

“Yuck,” Gladio says, with a laugh. “He’s like a cousin to me. Plus, he’s colder than Tenebraen winter. I’m much more into the warm, sunny type, if you haven’t noticed.”

“Good to know,” Prompto smiles up at him. “I’m serious, though. I want you to be happy, no matter what, okay? If you think it’s not working anymore, when you’re over there, please don’t pretend it is. I’ll understand.”

Gladio is fiercely against the thought of ever breaking things off with Prompto, and rolls over to press him into the bed to show it. His mouth roughly captures the blond’s, stopping up the words flowing out, and his hands roam the smooth expanse of his ticklish sides before breaking away to glare down at Prompto’s kiss-delirious face.

“I really don’t want to even think about that,” Gladio says, firmly. “So shut up, alright?”

Prompto snorts. “Alright.”

Gladio intends to lay back and fall asleep, but Prompto apparently has other ideas, his small hand tracing down the cleft of Gladio’s pecs, down the contour of his abs, and beyond.

“Ignis is gonna be pissed if we wake them up again,” Gladio says, a grin spreading across his face.

“It’s the last night he’ll have to put up with it,” Prompto shrugs, his hand pushing past the waistband of Gladio’s shorts. A groan rumbles through the larger man’s chest as fingers softly slide down the length of him. “I know you have the next month off from work before you leave, but I won’t be free as much to have fun like this. I have school and Crownsguard training starting next week.”

“Excuse you,” Gladio says, grabbing the playful hand in censure. “Who do you think is going to be working with you in training for the next month?”

“Wait, really?” Prompto bolts upright, his lazy energy replaced with excitement. “How? I thought for sure your dad would’ve told Cor not to allow us to work together now that we’re _together_.”

“Couples work together all of the time in the Crownsguard,” Gladio explains. “You know that’s how your mom and dad met, right? It’s kind of a way of life for most of us, so we forge relationships inside the system. You and I are just slightly ahead of the curve.”

“For once in my life,” Prompto laughs. “Well, cool. Still, I think if we tried to get up to _this_ in the locker room, it’d be frowned upon.”

“You’d be surprised,” Gladio says, an eyebrow raised. “You wouldn’t believe who I’ve caught in the showers before.”

“Um,” Prompto’s eyes widen with unrestrained joy and curiosity. “You’re going to tell me, though, right?”

“Sorry,” Gladio gestures an ‘X’ over his chest. “Sworn to secrecy. And you’ll appreciate that kind of trust when we’re caught, too.”

“‘When’, not ‘if’?” Prompto smirks. “Confident.”

“Predictive,” Gladio says, finally releasing Prompto’s questing hand from his grip. “I mean, look at you. You can’t keep your hands off me.”

Prompto pulls his hand back out to grip his pillow and hit Gladio in the face with it. “Cocky!”

“You like it, though,” Gladio smiles, pushing the pillow off of his face. “And I’m just as bad. I see that perfect ass and I have to grab it.” He reaches behind the blond to emphasize his point.

Prompto laughs and throws a leg over Gladio’s, laying fully on top of him, looking smugly down. The gaze softens, genuine affection swimming in his violet eyes, and Gladio leans up to capture his lips.

“It’s going to be so hard,” Prompto whines as they break.

“It’s already pretty much there,” Gladio smirks, grinding up against the rounded flesh of Prompto’s backside.

“Hilarious,” Prompto blinks, unimpressed but smiling fondly. “I’m going to miss you. I just got you.”

“If you’re really serious about the Crownsguard, and the next year goes well in your training, there’s definitely the possibility of joining me over on the Tenebraen continent when I go back to work in Gralea next October.”

“Are you serious?” Prompto’s face lights up.

“A hundred percent,” Gladio nods. He’d talked with his father after the party, just before they left to go back to the villa. “My dad says that considering your extremely close friendship with the Prince, you would be fast tracked to receive the same training that I’m going through now. We could petition for you to train under _me_ , and then you could move on to Accordo after we both work with the Tenebraen Continent. Which would be another year apart, but it’s much closer, and I’d already be done, so we could see each other more often. Dad says you have to get in your initial training first, though. Make it through the ranks a little.”

“I will dedicate myself to doing literally nothing else,” Prompto says, emphatic with determination.

“Don’t fail out of your last year of high school, Blondie,” Gladio warns, sliding warm palms up and down Prompto’s back, under his shirt. “The Crownsguard won’t be impressed by a drop-out.”

“I won’t,” Prompto promises. “Other than math, I’m doing alright, and Ignis usually helps me when I’m stumped. And I have a light load this semester so that I can make room for my training.”

“Good,” Gladio says, gripping the back of Prompto’s head with a firm hand. “Because if you start to slack off, I’ll come back from Tenebrae and punish you.”

“Don’t threaten me with a good time,” Prompto laughs against Gladio’s lips. Their fears relieved, the heat between them rapidly rises, the grind of their hips slow and stirring.

Gladio’s hands return to the plump flesh of Prompto’s ass, squeezing and spreading his cheeks under his soft pajamas, a shudder running through the smaller man as he’s teased.

“Haaaa,” Prompto breathes, jaw dropping open as Gladio drags two fingers across his hole. “You always wanna go right for the prize, Big Guy.”

“I just like watching you lose control,” Gladio returns, brushing his stubble across Prompto’s jaw. “And it’s always quickest to get you there with the promise that something’s going inside you.”

“Fair,” Prompto presses their foreheads together as Gladio’s hands slide under his bottoms, repeating the strokes of a moment before. “Gladio?”

“Yeah?” Gladio nudges Prompto’s cheek with his nose, trying to get the blond to angle his face back into position to continue kissing, all while his fingers brush lovingly and lightly over Prompto’s entrance.

“How do you feel about restraints?” Prompto nips at Gladio’s lips, rolling his hips forward and putting all of his weight on the press of their members.

“Obviously never used ‘em before, but I’d definitely love to try,” Gladio groans, pushing Prompto’s chest up so he can tug off the loose shirt keeping their skin from touching. “But you have to do something for me, first.”

“What’s that?” Prompto smiles down at him, hands holding his balance against Gladio’s abdomen, the fall of his hair draped over one eye and the tilt of his mouth painfully enticing.

“Open yourself up. I want to watch you get yourself nice and loose for me.” It had gotten a lot easier for Gladio to ask for what he wanted with all of the practice they’d been doing in the past few days.

“Lazy,” Prompto laughs. “But yeah, I can do that.”

The smaller man slides off Gladio and puts his feet on the floor to go retrieve some supplies needed from his dresser, leaving with a tantalizing sway of his hips and returning with a hungry, mischievous grin on his face. He sets the items on the nightstand near the head of the bed. There is the usual lube, and condoms for if they’re feeling like refraining from making a mess, but also some thick elastic-looking straps and a strange, silicone loop that looks sort of like a zip tie. He strips away his pajama bottoms, the loose, soft fabric pooling at his feet as he steps out of them gingerly.

Prompto drags a blanket from the bed and spreads it out on the floor, pointing at Gladio with a finger and then crooking it in a beckoning motion. “Get up, and dump the pillows on the blanket. I wanna have a bit more room to spread out.”

Gladio does as he is told, and warm hands smooth over his hips from behind as Prompto tugs the larger man’s pants down to join his own in a puddle on the floor. When they’re gone, he can feel the jut of Prompto’s cock against his ass, and wonders when they’ll try that particular arrangement out. Prompto seems to prefer being on bottom, but he knows from the thin walls that he is capable of being on top.

“Get comfortable,” Prompto says, a hand on Gladio’s shoulder urging him to sit on the blanket.

Gladio seats himself against the bed, a pillow behind his back to ease the discomfort of the frame against his spine while Prompto collects the items he procured and positions himself. He goes down on his knees, back facing Gladio, his legs spread around the larger man’s thighs and arches his back, his cleft parted ever so slightly.

With two fingers well coated in lube, Prompto eases himself open, groaning theatrically, but Gladio appreciates it. Knowing how much Prompto loves to be penetrated, it might not even be an act. He leans forward on one arm to show off more of his work as a third finger joins the mix, diving in as far as he can go with his shorter digits. His cries are frustrated and incomplete as he goes on, and Gladio suspects he’s trying to get him involved in the process, his hands and fingers much larger than Prompto’s.

It’s working.

“Gladio,” Prompto pants, sitting back and removing his hand from himself. “I can’t reach as well as you can.” Gladio can’t complain that Prompto is going back on his promise. He does love pushing things into Prompto, be it his hands, his cock or a rather intimidating dildo that Prompto had secreted away in his luggage when he came to Accordo.

It doesn’t mean he isn’t going to make Prompto pay a little for renegotiating.

“What’s that you have?” Gladio asks, nodding toward the unfamiliar items on the blanket. They’re fairly self-explanatory, considering Prompto had asked about restraints, but it’s pretty hot to listen to him talk about exactly how they should be implemented, if Gladio goes by the explicit instructions he was given for the dildo.

“Well, these,” Prompto says, swinging one leg back over Gladio’s to sit on his calves and face him, holding up the straps, “They’re going to go around my thighs and wrists. I’ll be totally unable to use my arms. Completely in your control.” He yanks open one side of the figure-eight strap and releases the velcro, pulling it around his left thigh and smoothing it back together again, the black stripe cutting a dramatic line across his supple skin, right under the swell of his ass. Gladio can imagine how delicious it’s going to look when both of them are secured, along with his wrists.

“And this,” Prompto says, holding up the second item, a single thick band of silicone secured with a small plastic clasp, “Is for you. It’s gonna slow you down a little, draw out the pleasure. Also, it makes your cock just a little bigger.”

Gladio crooks an eyebrow. “How much bigger do you need it to be?”

“I don’t _need_ it to be any bigger,” Prompto shrugs. “But I’m not gonna turn away from the chance to get stretched wider.”

Gladio shivers. This guy is a _daemon_. “Hey, let me do the rest of that.” Gladio indicates to the strap that Prompto is wrapping around his other leg. “Turn around.”

Gladio takes the strap in hand and guides it around the thick meat of Prompto’s right thigh, his thumbs tracing the path as he secures the material. It’s such a simple but insanely arousing image, that thick black band enhancing the contour of his thighs and ass. Gladio teases his fingers across the edge of the straps, a shivering tickle across the underside of the soft give of his bottom, around to the front that Gladio can’t see from his vantage point. Following the edge of the fabric, his digits brush the delicate skin of Prompto’s balls, and the whimper that erupts from the smaller man is intoxicating.

Gladio brushes his jaw across Prompto’s neck, kneeling directly behind him and pressing his body flush to the blond’s backside as he drags rough fingers up the length of his cock. Prompto leans into it, reaching behind him for Gladio’s thighs, bowing his head submissively for more of the larger man’s attentions with his mouth.

Gladio knows the reach is goading him to secure Prompto’s wrists, but he’s going to take his time tonight. One last night in paradise together, one last chance to really make Prompto scream in pleasure with no one but their closest friends around for miles.

“Prom,” Gladio breathes against his neck, lips trailing lazily down the freckled skin, “Put it on me.”

Prompto shudders, turning in Gladio’s arms, his small hand sliding down Gladio’s thigh to cup his manhood and stroke him to fullness. It’s not strictly necessary; Gladio has been achingingly hard since the first strap was tugged into place.

With gentle hands, Prompto eases Gladio back down to the blanket and teases his cock with long, sure strokes. Gladio throws his head back as Prompto bends, his tongue darting out to lick a slow stripe up the head. The unfamiliar sensation of the silicone is tugged around the base of him, and he feels the tightening of the tie as Prompto sucks half of his length down his throat.

Gladio releases an undignified noise, halfway between a groan and a squawk as the tie is secured and Prompto pushes his limits, nearly taking Gladio to the root. He swears that each time Prompto goes down on him, he is getting closer to taking the whole thing, and it’s impressive but also dangerous with how addictive the sight and sensation is.

Prompto pulls off of him, wiping away the errant saliva dripping down his chin. “How is it? Not too tight?”

Gladio breathes for a moment, trying to determine the sensation of the ring now that he’s not actively receiving oral pleasure. It’s not unpleasant, but still foreign, and the throb of his pulse in his cock feels a little more pronounced. His dick feels somehow more rigid than usual, and he considers his erections to be fairly sturdy, most times. All-in-all, nothing much to write home about. Not that he would.

“Seems fine,” Gladio says, mildly, and Prompto’s little smirk is intriguing. “What?”

“You’ll see,” Prompto says, and Gladio is more than ready to get started.

Gladio sits back up, drawing Prompto into his lap, letting his hands wander softly across his smooth frame, settling at the cleft of his ass as he bends to capture a nipple between his hungry teeth. There’s enough lube to slide his fingers inside Prompto, but Gladio _really_ wants to get in there, so he adds more slickness to his hands and delves in slowly but surely with three fingers right off the bat, pressing forward and urging a cry from Prompto as he expertly finds the bundle of nerves that shoots lightning into his purple-blue eyes. Gladio is proud to know exactly the angle and depth he needs to achieve to get Prompto screaming.

Prompto chokes on his breath, but lowers his hips to take more of Gladio’s digits inside himself. Gladio moves on to the other side of the pale chest as he forcefully works his hand deeper, Prompto gripping his hair tightly. It’s most likely another play toward having his wrists bound, and at this point, Gladio thinks it’s time to indulge him.

“Alright,” Gladio says, pulling off his kiss-bitten nipple. “You want your hands bound? Put them to your sides.”

Prompto does as he’s told, and the cuffs perfectly line up with his slim wrists. Gladio tries not to react with pity to the barcode burned into Prompto’s right arm as he covers it with a black stripe of material. Once they’re both in place, he has very little to think of other than how extremely arousing it is to see the petite man completely at his mercy.

“Oh, _fuck_ ,” Gladio breathes, taking in the spread thighs adorned with black bands that cradle and enhance the view of his pretty cock. His rigid posture, trying to keep his balance on his knees with his arms strapped tightly at his sides is _delicious_ , vulnerable… trusting.

Gladio can’t decide what to do with him, there are so many options. Though he thinks he would like to have a chance at manipulating Prompto’s body into whatever positions he can manage before getting too carried away.

Gladio puts his legs under him and stands, a firm hand under Prompto’s upper arm, pulling him along. It takes the smaller man a moment to get up onto his feet, and no small part of Gladio’s own strength, and it is a _rush_.

“Turn around,” Gladio commands, but it comes out pleading. He wants to taste and touch every part of the blond, but mostly, he wants to draw this out as long as he possibly can. They’ve had their share of rushed, passionate grappling; tonight, Gladio wants to absolutely wreck Prompto.

Prompto shifts, and Gladio leads him to the bed, urging his face to the surface. The smaller man willingly bends, his ass jutting out and his arms unable to support his upper body. He’s defenseless and writhing, trying to get in a more comfortable position.

The lack of control is… exquisite.

Gladio’s cock definitely feels fuller and absolutely aches to be inside Prompto, so he lines himself up with the pink pucker of his entrance and gives just the slightest push inward. Prompto groans and backs toward him as best he can before Gladio holds him still, censuring the motion.

“Don’t move,” Gladio says, his voice like gravel in his throat. He’s only on the cusp of penetration and he can feel how much the ring is transforming his pleasure. It’s drawn out, his mind distracted by the tension and the pressure on his oversensitive flesh. Yet somehow he knows he’s nowhere near release.

With a restraint he does not feel, he sinks himself into Prompto at a glacial pace, every inch of him on fire as it slips inside, the tight, hot passage parting wetly around his intrusion. Prompto is moaning, and it sounds like agony; Gladio sympathizes. He wants nothing more than to thrust home and take what he wants from Prompto’s willing flesh, but the desire to really make the blond _feel it_ is thankfully overriding his body’s natural instinct.

The noise that comes from Prompto’s throat when Gladio finally bottoms out is half between a sob and a choke, and the shuddering breath he draws is exactly what Gladio was hoping for. It’s relief enough for him already, and Gladio’s determination to draw out their pleasure is doubled.

“You’re so good like this,” Gladio says, hands kneading Prompto’s shoulders as he holds as still as possible, the blond squirming underneath him for some kind of inertia, some friction that will spur Gladio on. “You fit around me so perfectly. Like you were meant to be mine.”

Prompto cries out at that, and Gladio almost surges forward, his entire body wanting to lay claim like his words have.

“You want that?” Gladio asks, and Prompto replies with a shiver. “Say it. Say who you belong to.”

“Y-you,” Prompto gasps, trying to push backwards on Gladio’s cock, even though there’s nowhere else to go. “I’m yours- ah!”

Gladio pulls at the back of his hair, not too hard, but startling, all the same. “Again.”

“I belong to you, Gladio,” Prompto begs, his head bent back so that his words can’t be muffled by the bedding. “Just you, no one else can ever have me again-”

Gladio rewards him with a sharp thrust, a quick jerk backward and then slamming home as if it is the seal on this pact. Prompto gives a hard, startled cry, his petite body trembling with the force of it. Gladio releases the hold on his hair, and smooths caring hands down his back, his spine arched with the position.

Gladio glances down to where they’re joined, and it’s almost enough for him to give in and just take Prompto to completion right then and there, but by some miracle, he is able to hold back. The stretch of Prompto’s entrance around his cock is impressive, and shiny with lubrication. The black band of the tie around him is a sharp contrast to the red hue of his straining manhood. Gladio eases out, slow as he can manage and Prompto curls his spine, trying to set a quicker pace on the back thrust.

Gladio digs the fingers of his right hand into Prompto’s hip, once again halting his efforts for control. The motion stops at once, and the curve of his back returns to it’s somewhat relaxed state.

“Don’t move again,” Gladio warns, and holds himself still with just the tip of his cock inside Prompto, waiting for confirmation that he’ll behave before rewarding him any further.

Prompto only nods, desperately, his hands clenched below the band around his wrists. Gladio runs comforting fingers over the tense clutch of Prompto’s, and they loosen.

Gladio sets to work, a slow, tortuous rhythm of his hips, a long roll and a pause deep within before a lingering backslide. Prompto’s unrelenting moans are agony, shooting straight through him like a bullet, but he remains firm and almost punishing in how slow he moves. He is almost impressed with himself for not giving in, and decides to reward himself, when he feels Prompto’s inner walls begin to flutter.

He ceases moving immediately. Prompto cries out, frustrated. “Gladio-!”

“I want you on the floor,” Gladio rumbles, completely unfazed by the pleading tone of his lover’s voice. “I want to see you come apart on me.”

Prompto whimpers and nods, not that he has any say in the matter. Gladio pulls him to standing, still inside, and maneuvers him back down onto the blanket, their knees hitting the surface a bit painfully despite the carpet underneath, the trajectory awkward as they try to stay joined. It’s not terribly successful, but Gladio uses the opportunity to lay Prompto onto his back instead, so he can watch all of the expressions cross the blond’s face as he makes him undone.

“Please,” Prompto begs, and Gladio feels it like a blow to the gut, almost doubles over with it. His eyes are lidded with need, the flush across his freckled cheekbones tantalizing. Pale brows drawn tight over his desperate gaze, and the tremor of his limbs… Gladio thinks that this may be a lot of work, but it’s more than worth the effort.

Taking a small amount of pity on the smaller man, Gladio pushes his thighs apart and dives for the leaking length of him. The soft, smooth bulb of his cock is pushed past the plush aperture of Gladio’s lips in a hot kiss that is blindingly delicious. The weight of Prompto’s manhood fills Gladio’s mouth perfectly, his length hitting the back of Galdio’s throat with just enough pressure to push the limit but not gag him.

And the noises coming from above him are indescribably erotic. Hungry, pleading - ending on a near scream when Gladio swirls his eager tongue around the head, toying with the foreskin.

A spurt of salt on his tongue tells Gladio that it’s time to back off again, and the rough shout that bursts from Prompto’s lungs when he pulls off is pure music.

“No, don’t stop-” He cries, his head shaking from side to side as he writhes. “I was so fucking close!”

“I know, Blondie,” Gladio smiles, and he feels the creep of the addictive power of control seeping into his veins. “But I’m not finished with you, yet.”

Gladio pushes Prompto’s thighs up, his knees meeting his chest, and plunges back inside, rolling his hips in a rough, rapid rhythm. From the sounds Prompto is making, he can tell that he’s hitting just the right spot on every surge, and he doesn’t let up the furious pace until he can once again feel the telltale tremors of Prompto’s insides quaking around him. The pressure on his cock is tremendous, and as much as he wants to release, he can’t get enough of making Prompto groan in frustration and pleasure. So, once more, he pulls out.

“Gladio-!”

“You wanted to give me control,” Gladio reminds him. “Don’t be mad about how I use it.”

Prompto whines, squirms under him, his limbs shaking still. He’s been so good. And honestly, Gladio thinks maybe having this thing around his cock for too long might not be a great idea.

He also can’t help but look down at that poor, tortured soul and want to sooth the agony away.

“Prompto,” Gladio says, drawing his attention from his heightened state, those purple eyes blinking up at him in suffering confusion. “Do you want to be good for me?”

Prompto nods, vigorously, his hair sweat-slick and matted to his forehead. Gladio shifts back onto his calves and allows the blond’s feet to meet the floor, his knees bent and legs still wide open. Gladio smooths both hands down the insides of Prompto’s thighs, teasing his thumbs at Prompto’s quivering entrance, one hand sliding up his cock with a gentle grip while the other massages his balls. The drip of precome from his slit is enticing. Gladio wants to return to mouthing at it, but if he’s going to let them both come, it’s going to be with his rigid cock buried to the hilt in that tight passage.

“Roll onto your stomach,” Gladio commands, and Prompto struggles to oblige, but manages to get there with effort. He also presents his ass to Gladio with a slight arch to his back, an offering. Gladio isn’t one to turn away a gift.

He slides in as though he was meant to be there, and shudders a little, himself, when he reaches Prompto’s limit. He’s close, too, and it’s intense. Much more than usual. He wonders if he’s meant to come with this ring on him or if it’s to be removed. But rather than ask and break the mood, he supposes he’ll just give it a try until it doesn’t work.

Prompto is back to his crest nearly immediately, his whimpers transformed into high, loud cries, but Gladio refuses to touch him until he’s ready to blow, too. The pace is quick, but not as hard as they usually enjoy, Gladio’s hips firmly planted against Prompto’s ass, but the roll of them is driving the both of them toward climax with haste.

Gladio startles when Prompto’s whole body seizes, a choked scream leaking out of his lungs for several long seconds before he sags forward, spent. The grip of his passage drags Gladio down with him, and the orgasm that rolls through the larger man is like a crashing tide in a hurricane compared to the usual pleasure that crests in him without the aid of the tie around his cock. He feels like he’s spending the entirety of himself into Prompto, and it lasts far longer than usual.

When Gladio is finally finished, he tries to collapse to the side, but isn’t able to miss landing on one of Prompto’s tired legs as he does. It doesn’t seem to matter to the petite blond, though, because he’s still grasping for breath, his entire body limp and leaking.

Gladio seems to regain his mechanical functions more quickly, releasing the clasp on the tie and easing it off of himself with care before checking on Prompto with a soft hand between his shoulder blades.

“Prom, you in there?” Gladio asks, relaxing when he sees the dazed smile on Prompto’s face. “Damn, Blondie, you came without me touching you. How was it?”

“Words-” Prompto muttered. “Can’t.”

“That’s fair,” Gladio sighs, laying down next to him and soothing his back. “I’m gonna get a warm, wet cloth for now, until your legs work again, okay?”

“Mmm,” Prompto breathes, closing his eyes a little.

“Let me get those off you, gorgeous,” Gladio adds, as he reaches down to undo the straps holding his arms captive. They’re really great quality, barely left any mark on his pale skin except a bit of a divot at the juncture of his legs where it pulled a little harder.

Once his hands are unbound, Prompto is able to readjust his position to get out of the extremely wet spot on the blanket. They are going to have to run a load of laundry one last time before they leave the island, out of courtesy to the servants that will eventually have to clean up after them.

After a few long minutes of rest, and one loving sponge bath, Prompto feels capable of getting up off the floor and into the shower for a more thorough clean up. Both of them finally spent to their limit, they manage to make it back into bed for real sleep with a little over five hours to spare before their early morning Ignis wake-up call.

=||==========>

When they’re back in Insomnia, Gladio and Prompto’s lives are structured and rigid. They have time together, but it’s usually in an official capacity. With the upcoming departure, Gladio’s free time is taken up with packing and planning and reviewing his itinerary, as well as scheduling his replacements within the Crownsguard. If he takes extra care in who is working with his beloved, that’s left uncommented upon by the higher-ups. The higher-ups are Cor and his own father, so he’s not surprised.

Cor has taken an interest in most of Prompto’s affairs with the ‘Guard, and Gladio is more than pleased to know that finally Prompto will have an adult influence in his life that will be a little more hands-on and trustworthy. Not that Gladio has bad blood for Prompto’s parents; he’s met them and they’re lovely people, if a little awkward with their son due to distance. But Gladio hopes that with Prompto’s achievements, they’ll come around, like Gladio’s own father had. Still, it can’t hurt to have Cor involved.

Prompto is a force to be reckoned with. The promise that they will be together all the faster if he works hard and focuses during training is an obvious factor, but it could also be the confidence brimming from him now that he has support and love from his fellow ‘Guardsman that keeps him working hard and succeeding. It worries Gladio, though, that his progress will suffer when the Shield is away. But he decides to believe that Prompto will continue to surpass expectations even when they’re apart.

Gladio knows, without a shadow of a doubt, that they're going to be alright despite the distance. At the beginning of the month, he had fears that their relationship might go the way of Prompto and Certus’s; the time apart would pull their thread to breaking point, and a new affection would rob them of each other, maybe even on his side of things. But not anymore. There’s nothing that Gladio could imagine would tear them from each other, no new romance that could compare to what they have. And even if something were to happen, both of them would fight against the loss. With Certus and Prompto, neither of them wanted to make it work when things got tough. Gladio isn’t going to be so willing to give up. And he knows Prompto won’t, either.

They finally have a spare minute alone, out of official capacity, and they’re both utterly exhausted.

“You really whipped my ass today in training,” Prompto complains, with a sigh against Gladio’s chest as they lay together on his sofa.

“You know I’m tired when I can’t rise to that flirtation,” Gladio says, his smile crushed against the top of Promptos’ head.

“Only a week until you go,” Prompto pouts, ignoring the cheeky comment, and it earns him a kiss on the top of his hair.

“I know,” Gladio hums, soothing him with tightening of the arm around his shoulders in a suggestion of a hug. “It’s gonna be a rough final week. I’ve got a lot to do as we get to the last few days.”

“Are we gonna be able to see each other?” Prompto’s head pops up, face tight with worry. “Other than in training, I mean.”

“Blondie, there’s no way I’d leave without one last long night with you,” Gladio laughs gently, tugging at the flaxen strands at the nape of Prompto’s neck. “I’m trying to work out our schedules to accommodate it. I know Ignis is planning some kind of get-together on the last night because I keep getting blockades thrown up when I try to adjust that evening. So tell him to help instead of hinder, when you see him for tutoring, okay?”

“Will do!” Prompto smiles as he lays back into the comfort of Gladio’s chest.

“Hey,” Gladio says, his throat a little rough and suddenly too tight. “You, uh. I...”

“You okay, Big Guy?” Prompto asks, looking up through his eyelashes. Even now, the both of them exhausted beyond belief, Prompto is the single most gorgeous person Gladio has ever seen, both inside and out, even with dark circles under his eyes and limp, slightly dirty hair. He can still hardly believe that he was lucky enough that the person he wanted _wanted him back_. Still wants him.

The certainty that they would overcome this test of their relationship weighs heavy in his chest, but it’s not the weight of a misshapen, rusted hunk of metal; it’s a golden, glorious treasure, and Gladio thinks he will carry it inside until he is gone from this world.

“Yeah, I’m good. Great, actually.” Gladio, for all of the progress he’s made in the past year, is still clinging to one last thread of his old self, and he wants to rip it away like a bandage, but there's still a shaky fear there. He’s never been one to back down from a challenge, though, and he sits them up a little bit, so that he can properly look down into Prompto’s eyes and show him the sincerity of his soul.

Prompto’s expression is questioning; he can tell that there is a sobriety in Gladio’s demeanor now. The worried line between his pale brows is, frankly, adorable, and Gladio kisses it away.

“I love you,” Gladio says, and the look of confusion breaks like the dawn over Prompto’s face, his mouth drawn wide over his straight teeth, one side drawn up more than the other in that familiar crooked grin, his eyes practically dancing with glassiness. Prompto surges up to kiss him, a painful knock of teeth, but they smooth things out and it’s a desperate, joyful press of lips and tongue, stealing the breath from both of them.

“Gladio, I love you so much,” Prompto smiles, hands pressed lovingly to his stubbled face. “This is literally the happiest I’ve ever been in my life. I wasn’t going to let you go away without telling you how I felt, but I was afraid we’d never find a good moment!”

“I’m happy I took the initiative,” Gladio grins, tucking an errant strand of blond hair behind Prompto’s ear. “Now, at least, that’s one less thing we’ll have to muddle through when we’re apart.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally done! This one took so much more time than I expected it to, but it was also a lot less plot-heavy than "a cage to rattle" so I'm not super surprised. I hope it was enjoyable for everyone who stuck with it! <3

**Author's Note:**

> This thing is 17 Chapters long according to my outline, so buckle up for another long one. EDIT: now it's 15, which seems more appropriate, lol. (I merged some stuff, nothing has been removed, I promise.)
> 
> Behind the Scenes tweets @fictionalthirst


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